Wormhole
by FallenStar90
Summary: Lois and Clark are on the way to an interview, when they suddenly appear in Metropolis, circa 2056, when the world is ruled by a merciless tyrant. And it ain't Lex. But can you really change the future? CLOIS AU
1. Wormhole

OK, this is my 4th fic, 3rd fairly long fic, and I must be crazy for doing all 3 at once. (Yep, I'm definitely crazy.)

Title: The Sun King: 2056  
Author: FallenStar AKA Laura  
Pairing: Clois, naturally  
Genre: Action/Romance/A.U.  
Rating: PG-13  
Spoilers: Season 5  
Disclaimer: I'm 15. I can only wish that I owned this.  
Summary: Lois and Clark take an unexpected detour on their way to an interview, and end up 50 years in the future, where the world is ruled by a merciless tyrant. And, no, it ain't Lex.

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**Chapter 1: Wormhole**

"Smallville, get in the car! What are you waiting for, plaid to come back in style? I have to be at my interview in half an hour!"

Lois Lane was seated shotgun in Clark Kent's pick-up truck, wearing slacks and a brand new blouse, and attempting to apply a coat of mascara to her already overdone face in a nervous frenzy to appear civilized for her job interview at the Daily Planet. She was in her final year of college, and 3 credits away from a degree in journalism. Clark was a full year behind her, and upon his transfer to Met U as a sophomore, had been plagued with the misfortune of residing in the same apartment building as Lois. He would have chosen to live elsewhere, or even have commuted from home, as rush hour was never an issue for him, but the rent was cheap, and it was fairly close to the campus. So for the past year, he had lived next to Lois, sharing one car and a wall between them.

_This is worse than marriage,_ Clark thought.

"Jesus, Lois, I'm going as fast as I can! At least let me get some pants on!" Clark shouted, sticking his head out of his ground floor window.

"Clothing is optional at this point, Clark! Your pants aren't giving the interview, are they?" Lois shouted back, now applying some more foundation.

Clark ran out the door with his belt hanging from his waist, his hair messy and his shirt open.

"You take more time than a girl, Smallville."

"I overslept! Give me a break!" Clark retorted, stepping in the car. He started the truck, and sped out of the parking lot.

"Did Lori give you a hard workout last night? I always knew she had a dark side. _No_ girl is that much of a goody goody" Lois said slyly. She was convinced that Clark's straight-A girlfriend wasn't nearly as nice as she looked.

"That's none of your business, Lois. Besides, she just came over for some help on a paper. I was up all night with her researching." Clark said as he turned onto the street. The sun was hidden beneath a thin layer of clouds, and the humid spring air made time seem to move slower. The streets were filled with suit-wearing business men, sweating in their grey apparel as they trudged to work, and lazy college kids donning flip flops and blasting radios from their cars.

"Researching. Uh-huh. Was it a _biology paper_?" Lois asked.

"Lois, in 10 seconds, I'm turning this truck around!"

"Don't worry, Smallville, my lips are sealed. But next time, go to her place. Thin walls equals zero privacy, and a load of nightmares for the poor souls who have to listen to you two go at it all night." Lois said, grinning madly at Clark's red complexion. Clark sensed a battle lost, and decided to drop the subject.

"Stop putting on so much makeup, Lois. You look like a circus clown" Clark muttered.

"Well pardon me for not having 'flawless ivory skin' and 'golden blonde locks' and 'full red lips' like a certain someone we know coughLoricough." Lois said in a whiny tone.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous," Clark replied, quickly shooting Lois an accusatory glance.

"Jealous? Of that little dolphin-loving princess? Not a chance. Nobody majoring in marine biology _and_ math can possibly be right in the head."

Clark reached for the radio, attempting to drown out the annoying co-ed sitting next to him. He stopped on a country station. Lois swatted his hand away from the dial. "Are you attempting to kill every bit of my sanity with this trash?" She switched to the local rock station, on an extremely loud rendition of "Crazy Train".

"Yeah, as if this is any better!" Clark shouted over the song. Lois mouthed the words "Can't hear you!" to Clark, and started to sing the song out loud. Clark turned the radio to his station, and Lois switched it right back. They fought like this for a few seconds, until Lois looked up and saw their car heading straight off an overpass.

"CLARK!" she shouted. He attempted to regain control of the wheel, but they suddenly flew off the overpass and headed straight for the road below. Lois shut her eyes, knowing full well that she was about to die.

But the end never came.

Clark was still sitting next to her. He had moved into super speed, and planned to grab catch the car, but before he could, he noticed that the car was sitting perfectly on the ground. He looked out the car window, and his mouth fell open. All around them were buildings that seemed to reach so high that he couldn't see the tops. There were no trees, but many people who flooded the streets, dressed in identical skintight black clothing. Sleek looking cars were parked on either side of him. At least, they _looked_ like cars, until, upon closer observation, he noticed huge engines protruding from the bottom and rear, as though they were designed for flight.

"Lois?" Clark turned to face her. Lois had her eyes closed tightly, and her arms clung to her seat.

"Am I dead?" She asked, opening one eye and, seeing her surroundings, closing it back up again.

"Lois, open your eyes. We're alive. But I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."  
Reviews are welcome!


	2. We're not in Kansas anymore!

Thanks for the awesome feedback guys! It really does help. See? I've been inspired to write another chapter! Although I must admit that I'm going a bit nutso with 3 stories, it's summer, and I have all the time, and caffeine, in the world. So here it is. . .

LMBossy: thanks so much: Areon: I'm definitely psychotic, huh: Chlark4ever92: Wow! Thanks so so much! and yes its pete rolls eyes or lori, huh? JK, wait and see kids, wait and see. . .

WARNING: I didnt LOVE the way this came out, quite frankly. But this is all I got! Read and feel free to flame  
WARNING 2: Guess who's the dictator? Go on, guess.

...  
**Chapter 2:**

Lois slowly opened her eyes, and took a deep breath as she scanned her surroundings. They appeared to be in the middle of some sort of huge parking lot, lined on either side by silver skyscrapers, each connected by chrome arches and elevated glass walkways. The sun was shining over the city, reflecting off the majestic structures and creating a blinding glimmer in the air.

"Uh, Clark, explain to me why we aren't dead, considering that we just plunged headlong off a bridge." Lois asked. "And why is everything chrome?"

"I have no idea," Clark replied. And he truly didn't. Clark snapped out of his initially shocked state, and let the boy-scout within take over. "I'm gonna go see if I can find out where we are. You can stay here if you want."

"Oh no! You are not leaving me alone here in the Twilight Zone!" she answered, bolting out of the car.

"Fine, then come on. I just want to get out of here as quickly as possible." He was trying to put on a brave face for Lois, but inside he was extremely confused. How had they gotten from downtown Metropolis to this place in the blink of an eye?

Clark and Lois maneuvered through the streets of the strange city. The duo stuck out terribly among the black-clad civilians, who pointed and whispered at them as they walked past. The streets were white, but were made of some sort of marble rather than cement, and there was no road; it was basically one large sidewalk. But even more unnerving were the sleek metal crafts that sped over the streets, suspended 30 feet in the air. It was like rush hour traffic, only much higher than Lois and Clark were comfortable with. They were obviously in some sort of business district, but there were no familiar sights to be had, and fear began to set in.

"I feel like I just stepped into a rerun of the 'Jetsons,'" Lois commented, attempting to regain her composure. They walked down the block, searching for a newsstand where they could get some help, or possibly a map.

Suddenly Lois stopped in her tracks, falling behind Clark. "Clark!" She ran up to him and pulled him over to a corner, trapping him against the wall.

"What's the matter now, Lois?" Clark asked, half mocking her.

"Look up there . . . and please tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing."

They had reached an intersection, and the side of a skyscraper came into view. A giant poster hung on it, taking up almost the entire side of the building. Strangely enough, the figure in the image was moving. Even stranger was that the man in the poster was the spitting image of Clark.

"As if this day couldn't get any weirder. Congratulations, Smallville, your head is finally large enough to dwarf a small building." Lois joked, although inside she was extremely worried.

The Clark on the poster looked slightly older, but still not a day over 30. His hair was very long, and he sported a black outfit with a white diamond figure on the chest, with what looked like an "8" inside. Behind him waved a flag, with an identical diamond crest in the center and a solid red background.

"This is impossible . . ." was all Clark could manage to whisper, mouth agape. For the first time he since the crash, he was truly petrified. Lois sensed Clark's fear, and, being rather concerned herself, wanted to get them both back home.

"Come on, let's get out of here, and you can explain to me later why you've suddenly become a poster boy" Lois said, tugging Clark to move. They continued along the path, neither of them knowing where they were, much less where they were going, and Clark's picture buzzing in the back of their minds.

Three blocks away, a battered old hovercar was flying dangerously low over the streets, speeding towards its destination. Pedestrians dived out of its path, and created a frenzy in the streets. Clark sensed the car coming, and ran to the side of a building, tugging Lois by the hand to follow him. It came closer and closer, and stopped on a dime directly next to Lois and Clark. The driver rolled down the side window.

"Get in the car if you know what's good for you."

Clark stepped forward, and, just as he was about to give the speaker a piece of his mind, he got a good glimpse of her face. It was an older woman, maybe about 70 years old, with thick rimmed glasses and silver hair tied back in a bun. She was probably a good looking woman in her day, but age had taken a toll on her. Deep wrinkled graced her forehead and mouth. But she was still a formidable presence, nonetheless, with a very familiar look about her.

"Are you deaf? Get in the car! You must be crazy walking around the streets dressed like that!" she repeated again.

"What are you talking about?" Clark asked. Lois was now standing behind him.

"I'm talking about the standard dress code that you two are obviously in violation of. Get in before you get caught!" the woman shouted. She opened her car door, and, Lois and Clark, sensing that they had nothing to lose, stepped in. The car took off into the sky.

The interior of the car was huge, with bucket seats and 3 rows, all covered in leather. All sorts of knobs and buttons lit up on the dashboard, and on the rearview mirror was a picture of a young girl and boy sitting on a swing set in the countryside.

"What are you, some sort of rebellion group that decided to chuck the state law out the window? Goddamn kids, you never learn. So, fess up, what exactly are you doing here?" the woman asked.

Clark was uneasy about talking to this woman, but Lois doubted that she was any danger to them, and began talking. "Honestly, we have no idea. I was going to an interview, and next thing I know, I'm sitting in the middle a street in this lovely little chrome hamlet. Uh, where exactly _are_ we, anyway?"

"Metropolis. And yeah, we do like our chrome around here," the lady chuckled. They were now flying over the outskirts of the city, and entering a more rural landscape.

"In what, the year 3000?" Lois joked.

"2056, actually, but in this age, they lie to us so much it could be the year 5050 for all we know. Gotta love the propaganda machine! I remember the days where. . ."

Lois and Clark just stared at each other. They prayed that the woman was just joking, but knew deep inside that they were, in fact, much further from home than they had thought.

"Uh, Miss?" Clark interrupted.

"Call me Lucy, hon. What's the matter?"

"Ok, uh, Lucy, do you know if there are any hotels around here? We could use a place to stay for a few nights," Clark asked, secretly wanting to go to sleep, hoping that this was just a bad dream.

"Nonsense! You two are staying with me! I got a big house, and I could use the company!" Lucy piped up. "What do ya say?"

Lois turned to Clark and shrugged. Clark turned to Lucy "Ok, sure. Thank you."

They flew over rural Kansas for an hour. Clark was grateful to see the familiar terrain, and Lois was fast asleep on his shoulder. He didn't have the heart to wake her, so he stayed fairly still, and occupied his time staring out the window, thinking about how great it felt to soar over the fields, where nothing could touch you. But he was far from at peace. Everywhere he looked, he seemed to find his photograph staring back at him. What was going on? . . .

"We're here!" Lucy shouted. Clark woke Lois, who snapped at him for making physical contact with her. The car doors opened, revealing their home for the next few days, and they were shocked to find that Lucy's house was none other than the former Kent farm.


	3. Photographs

**I'm back! And I realize I owe ya a bit of an explanation. My computer died. Operating system, hard drive, software: all gone. I have basically been without internet since then. But I found a disk and recovered my computer, so I'm back (and have a lot of ground to cover.) Thanks to my reviewers!****Reviews are like crack for me; feed the addiction. . .****

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Chapter 3

"Clark, isn't that you're house?"

The Kent Farm of 2056 bore an unsettling resemblance to it's 2006 counterpart. In many ways, it was almost identical; the same color, style, even the loft was still in place. But the property had been cut down significantly, and the farm animals were noticeably absent. On the porch hung a red flag, bearing the same symbol as on the poster of Clark in the city. And, of all the strangeness of the day, the recurring symbol of the house of El was the thing that unnerved Clark the most.

Lucy unlocked the front door, and led her shocked guests into the entrance hallway. "This is my humble abode! It isn't much, but it's my home." She led them into the living room, where they sat down on the couch. Lois and Clark gazed at the decor. The only changes Lucy had made in the house were the addition of a large television, and several photographs adorning the mantle.

"Something to drink kids?" Lucy asked. She stood up slowly and strolled into the kitchen.

"Yes, please," Clark said.

"Preferably something with alcohol," Lois added. Her head was in her hand, and she was laying on the sofa, obviously freaked out by her situation.

Lucy reappeared in the living room, holding a tray with drinks. "Two lemonades for you kids, and a shot of vodka for the young lady."

"I wasn't serious!'' Lois shouted defensively, but she still grabbed the shot and downed it.

"So what did you kids say your names were?" Lucy asked.

"'I'm Lois, and this is Clark," Lois said matter of factly.

"And where exactly do you hail from?"

"We're from Gotham," Clark lied. "Just taking a quick tour of the area."

"Yeah," Lois continued. "We're students up there. Just figured we'd get away for a few days. But our engine died."

"Aah," Lucy replied. "So, uh, what exactly were you thinking, walking arund metropolis in those things?" She pointed to their clothing.

Clark stammered, but Lois thankfully thought of a lie. "Our regular clothes are in the wash. We had these left over from a play we were in. We're theater students."

"A play? Right. . .just don't get caught walking around in those again. It'll be your head, capisce?" Lucy saw right through their lie, seeing as they had given her a completely different explanation in the car. But she was still unsure how to approach the situation she was in. Lucy decided to let them sleep, and fill them in about _everything_ in the morning. Time travel takes a lot out of most people.

"I'll bet you're exhausted! Gotham's a long way away. I'll show you to the guest room."

Lucy led Clark and Lois upstairs to what was once Clark's bedroom. "You guys can sleep in here." She said cheerfully

Lois examined the room. "Uh, Lucy? There's only one bed."

"Oh, please! I'm a modern woman, I know you kids like to have your fun. You're such a cute couple!"

"Lucy we're not--"  
"I think we should--"  
"She's not my--"

"Please, kids, don't worry about it! I'll be downstairs if ya need me! Go on, have your fun, save the population, all that jazz. . ." Lucy said, still speaking as she descended the stairs, falling farther and farther out of earshot.

Lois shut the door. She faced Clark, hands on her hips. "You're sleeping on the floor tonight."

"Why do I--"

"Don't push it! You're lucky I'm not making you sleep in the closet." Lois interrupted, grinning as Clark grumbled to himself. "Here," Lois said as she threw a pillow at Clark, hitting him square in the nose. She collapsed into the bed.

Clark set the pillow gently next to the bed. He sat down and layed his head on it, staring at the fresh cracks in the ceiling. "Lois?"

"I was half asleep, Smallville, what is it?"

He sat upright. "Do you think Lucy is right?"

"About us being a couple? Smallville, no offense, but--"

"No, not that. . .do you think we're really in the future? In 2056?"

Lois rolled over and peered at Clark from the edge of the bed. "Maybe. . .I don't know. I mean Lucy's pretty ancient, and senile, if you ask me. . .I really don't see any other explanation. Huge skyscrapers, flying cars, not to mention the fact that we are currently guests in _your_ own home? It all adds up. . ." Her voice trailed off. The realization that they were much further from home than she thought was striking her like a brick. She sat in silence for a few moments. "But what the hell was with that poster in metropolis?" She blurted out.

Clark was startled, but Lois continued to talk. "That guy looked just like you! Well, he was a bit older, longer hair, and all that, but the resemblance was creepy."

"Lois, please--" Clark interfered.

"But then again," she continued, "if it is 2056, then that could be your son. Still, why was there a poster of him--"

"LOIS!" Clark shouted. This was not a subject he was ready to discuss with Lois. He was almost sure that the man on the poster was him. His days of training with Jor-El had informed him that Kryptonians had an extremely long lifespan. He could only imagine that this would be further amplifid by Earth's yellow sun. But, besides the fact that his face was hanging on a Metropolis wall, which was unsettling enough, why was a Kryptonian symbol hanging there as well, not to mention on almost every house he'd seen?

Clark continued. "Lois, can we talk about this some other time? I'm exhausted. . .I think I'm just gonna go to bed." He said, rolling over onto his pillow. Lois followed suit, as she was tired as well. The stress of the day had taken a lot out of them.

"Sure. . .goodnight Clark."  
"Goodnight, Lois."

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Sunset came and went, but Clark's eyes never quite shut. Lois snored softly next to him, but this minor disturbance was not the reason for his insomnia. The poster in Metropolis had deeply troubled him, and possible scenarious for the adornment of walls and flags with his face buzzed in his mind, scaring away any hint of sleep that dared creep over his eyes.

There was no moon out tonight, so the entire house was pitch black. Clark estimated that he had been awake for several hours, and that it was close to 5:00 AM. Finally, he lost his patience, and he decided to stretch his legs. He rose slowly, hoping not to wake Lois. Carefully, he opened the door, and stepped onto the cold hardwood hallway floor.

He grappled in the dark for the stairwell, and blindly made his way downstairs. His mind was in a fog, and his disorientation caused him to wobble down the steps, nervously grasping at the rail for support. Suddenly, he noticed a soft glow emanating from  
the living room. _Lucy must have left the light on_ he thought. He tiptoed into the kitchen, adjacent to the living room, giving him a clear view of Lucy, snoring softly on the couch. Seeing that she was sound asleep, he decided to shut off the light for her. But as he stood over her, he noticed a book sitting in her lap. A photo album, opened to a particularly interesting picture. It was set on the very couch that Lucy slept on, and on it sat Clark and his mother, Lois in the background, sticking her tongue out at a person off-camera (likely Chloe). Clark slowly lifted the book off Lucy's lap, and, tucking it under his shoulders, shut off the lamp.

Clark walked over to the dining room table and lit a smaller lamp next to him. He sat down, and opened the album. As he flipped through the first few pages, he recognized the images--he and his father at a Shark's gane, Chloe and Martha toasting mugs of coffee at the Talon--but there were some photos that he didn't recognize. Clark saw pictures of his own college graduation, pictures of his mother, who looked considerably older, and marny of Lois. Lois' photos showed the most drastic change. In some, she cradled a small child, flashed her press pass at the camera playfully, rubbed a very pregnant belly, and sported multiple shades of haicolor. Clark sat quietly, immersed in the images of the lives that he and his family were destined to lead.

He soon found himself at the final photograph, lining the final flap. It was larger than the others, taking up the entire page. It was of Clark. He was facing away from the camera, holding a little girl in his hand, walking into the horizon. It was a beautiful candid, but eerie nonetheless.

"That was my last picture of him."

Clark jumped, startled by the voice that came out from behind him, ringing out in the silence of the impending sunrise. He looked up, seeing Lucy staring at him, her chocolate eyes full of sorrow, and her brow furrowed. Clark sensed a somber air about her. She was vivacious (as clearly demonstrated by her driving) but she was clearly troubled. She pulled up a chair next to him.

Clark had a billion questions on his mind. "Where did you get this?" was the first that made it to his lips.

Lucy grabbed the book, and stared longingly at Clark's photo. "I took this picture. We were on vacation, and I was _very_ pregnant at the time. That's our little girl, Lara, named after your mother."

More questions came pouring out. "How do you--what is this--who are you?"

Lucy chuckled. "I'll answer the last one first. My legal name for the past 30 years has been Lucy. But you know me better as Lois. Lois Lane."


	4. Lucy

Update! Enjoy, you restless little monkeys. . .

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**Chapter 4**

_My legal name for the past 30 years has been Lucy. But you know me better as Lois. Lois Lane._

"Come again?" Clark asked, praying that he had heard Lucy wrong. As if the day hadn't been strange enough; if Lucy was telling the truth, it would basically seal the deal that he and Lois were stranded 50 years in the future.

But something inside Clark told him that the fragile, old woman sitting next to him was really the person she claimed to be.Her eyes, her smile, her presence, and especially her driving, all screamed of Lois. The more he thought about it, the more comfortable he felt with Lucy's confession. After all, it would mean that he and Lois were in safe hands, a necessity for them at the moment, given their situation.

"You heard me right. My real name is Lois Lane, and we are overdue for a little chat. . .and you can still call me 'Lucy'. I'm so used to it, anything else would sound foreign to me," Lucy explained. Her tone appeared very composed, but Clark caught a hint of apprehension in her voice, reaffirming the gravity of Clark's situation once again. He nodded in silent approval of Lucy's command.

"How did we get here?" Clark blurted, unable to contain the burning question any longer.

Lucy sighed deeply, her eyes half-closed in deep thought. "That's the million dollar question, and I'm sorry, but I can't answer it. I don't know how you got here.Time travel is dangerous and complicated. Forget a permit, you need plently of recommendations, tons of paperwork, special Visas, and more money that God to get anywhere near a time machine."

"Well, I didn't exactly see any time machines back home, anyway. But there must be some kind of expanation! People don't just jump 50 years into the future by magic!" Clark argued.

Lucy was stumped. "Time machines arene't exactly what you'd imagine them to be. You're thinking of a huge, bulky machine with gears and engines and tons of metal, right? Nahh, those were too inconvenient, not to mention useless for covert operations-you could spot those a mile away. They're more like portals, that can be transfered from location to location, even to different time periods. Virtually invisible to the naked eye. But still, I can safely say that you weren't brought here by a conventional time machine, considering that it's illegal to transport unlicenced individuals. . .which you obviously are. Penalty of death."

"That sounds kinda harsh," Clark interrupted.

"You don't know the half of it, Lucy said sadly. "Let's drop this for now. . .my head is killing me thinking about this. My brain wasn't meant for science."

"Alright," Clark said, far from satisfied, but accepting the fact that Lucy obviously knew nothing about their sudden appearance. "So, can you tell me why you changed your name to Lucy?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, this is the juicy part of the story," Lucy said jokingly. But she was still afraid of how Clark would handle everything she was about to reveal to him. He was only a kid, after all. "None of this is gonna be easy to hear. . .are you sure you want to know?"

"Just get it over with. . ."

"OK. . .it all started after college. You and I started dating, and--"

"We started _dating_!"Clark interfered.

"OK, Smallville, if I'm gonna tell ya _everything_, you can't interrupt, understood." Lucy snapped. Clark shut his mouth, but smiled when Lucy called him "Smallville." It was, after all, Lois' favorite name for him.

"_Anyway_, we dated for a few years. We were inseperable. You and I even began working at the Daily Planet together. A bit after that, we were married." She paused briefly to sum up Clark's reaction so far. He was clearly shocked. _It's understandable. . .we used to hate each other's guts, especially when Clark was dating Lori. . .but he'll change in time. . ._

"Life was good back then. We were young, succesful, and most importantly, in love. We even had a child---she's the one in that picture. We named her Lara, after you're Kryptonian mother."

Clark flinched. "How do you know that name?"

"I told you not to interrupt! I _married_ you, Clark. I think I found out your secret at some point _before_ I made that commitment!" Lucy shot back. Clark fell silent once again---he could not argue with her logic.

Lucy continued. "Lara was so beautiful--she took after me, luckily" Lucy said playfully. "You two were always together. She loved you more than anything."

"Then one day, you left _extremely_ early for work. Your mother. . .she'd just passed away. . .and I figured that you needed some time to collect your thoughts. But you never showed up at work, and you never came home. I convinced myself that you went to the Fortress for a few days. I waited almost 3 weeks until you came back. . ." Lucy stopped. She didn't know how she was going to be able to recount the next part without bursting into tears. Clark was upset as well, but over the death of his mother. What Lucy was about to reveal was how Clark Kent broke her heart, with none other than Clark as her audience.

"When he came back, something inside him had changed. He was so cold. . .he acted like he didn't even know me. The things he said--"

Lucy couldn't hold it in any longer. One tear fell, then another, until she was bawling. Clark put his hand on hers, but she swatted it away. "I'm fine!" she shouted, althugh she clearly wasn't. She wiped her eys, but continued to tell her story, her voice cracking with every word. "Every bit of humanity was sucked out of him. He became a monster. . .He left me alone to raise Lara and John, who was born later that month. His last words to me were something about conquering the world. And he did--in less than a month. The empire of Kal-El had been born."

For a moment, Clark stopped breathing. All he could do was shake his head violently. "No. . ." he muttered, over and over again.

A new emotion swept over Lucy--anger. All those lonely days, the horrific torture she'd been put through, it all came rushing back to her. Her children, her cousin, her family; they were all gone, at the hands of the man sitting before her. She could supress her rage no longer. She kept talking, because she came to the realization that the truth was what would hurt Clark the most.

"My children grew up, and I never told them who their father was. I didn't want them to experience such shame.Chloe, Lex, Lana, Pete, everyone who knew you tried to stop you. It was futile- we needed kryptonite, but you're first action in office was to have all traces of green meteor rock destroyed. We started an underground resistance group. But your police was rutheless. And you killed all prisoners with your bare hands. You killed our children! They may have had your powers, but they didn't have your killer instinct! They launched an attack on your headquaters. Almost everyone in the resistance was killed that day! You _murdered_ them. . . You killed Chloe, Lana, Lara, John. . .Lex and Pete escaped somehow, they're living in hiding. And me? You tortured me. . .in the most horrific ways possible. I was your slave for years, Clark, and only because somewhere in that black heart of yours, in some sick way, you still loved me! You 'repayed' me with a new name, a new residence, a new life. But if you had really loved me, you would have killed me. . .you would have let me escape your world!"

Lucy was panting--she hadn't realized that she was yelling. Her elderly body was shaking violently, and she felt as though she had just exploded. Her teeth chattered, and here eyes poured out steamy water. Clark was hyperventilating, choking on his own tears and spit. He started screaming as loud as he could. It was too much. . .too much to handle. . .he needed to wake up. . .he had to get out of here. . .he needed to run away.

And like a bullet, he was gone.


	5. Lookalikes

**Chapter 15: Lookalikes**

_This can't be happening_

These were the words running through Clark's mind as he ran away from the Kent farm. The familiar Kansas landscape flew past him at incomprehensible speeds, and he was barely holding back tears . He wasn't planning on running far; He didn't want to desert Lois, and, somewhere in his heart, he hoped that Lois would eventually come looking for him when she woke up. _But will she?_ he thought. _Lucy's probably told her everything by now...I don't blame Lois if she never wants to see me again..._

When Lucy told him about his destiny, the fury in her eyes made Clark feel as though a part of him had died. In fact, the pain he felt in his heart made death seem like a pleasant option. Clark couldn't even begin to fathom how he had become such a monster. Everyone he loved was dead. He was a cold blooded murderer, he was a rutheless dictator, he was...exactly the son Jor-El had always wanted.

Jor-El. For the first time, it dawned on him. For years, Jor-El had warned him of his destiny- to enslave humanity, to create a new Krypton on Earth. _But he told me himself...he promised me over and over again that he simply wanted me to be a bringer of peace and guidance...but considering that that _obviously_ didn't happen in ths future... _

Could he have been lying to me all along?

_At least now that goddamn poster makes sense..._

Clark attempted to brush these thoughts from his mind, but he couldn't erase the fear it mercilessly branded in his heart. Lucy was furious at him, and by now, Lois probably knew everything about him. _Everything..._

A split second later, Clark stopped, having reached Old Main Street Smallville--_or what's left of it,_ he noted. Most of the small shops had been torn down, and were replaced by mile high structures, similar to a big city. The only familiar building was the Talon. His heart warmed at the sight of the terribly out of place coffee shop. Remembering Lucy's warning about his 2006 apparel (which he currently donned), he sped into a shop quickly and took a black uniform off the rack, making a mental note to pay later when he had more than the $5 in his jean pocket. Finally, once it was safe to go out in public, he walked inside the Talon, hoping that a good dose of caffeine would calm his nerves a bit. Even the interior of the Talon had been perfectly preserved, aside from ta huge red flag and yet another framed photograph of him (which, for his own sanity, he chose to ignore--he forced himself to believe that the Clark he saw in it had not changed a bit). A soft country tune buzzed in the background from a stereo.

He walked up to the counter and was met by a young female waitress. "How my I help you?" She asked nicely, her warm smile bringing him an air of comfort--until he saw her hands shaking. He ordered a small black coffee, smiling so as not to startle the obviously jittery woman. She rushed to a large, golden machine behind her, and quickly entered a code in the keypad. Almost instantaneously, a steaming cup of coffee and a donut popped out of a compartment next to where Clark was standing. He grabbed it, and moved to pay the clerk. _What if my money's not good in the future?_ he realized.

"Oh, no, it's on the house! I even gave you a donut! I know how much you like those!" The waitress said, as if reading his mind. She proceeded to bow her head.

Clark looked at her strangely, but returned the gesture. "Uh, thanks..."

Clark looked around the Talon, seeing no vacant tables. He took a step foward, and immediately a couple scurried out of their seats, throwing away their half eaten pastries. Clark sat down hesitantly, and began sipping his drink, finally feeling at peace. But as he looked around the room again, he was alarmed. All conversation had stopped, and everyone in the room was staring at him. Old men sitting at their tables forced smiles when Clark glanced at them, clenching their jaws. Young girls stared in lust admiration, their boyfriends looking jealous. Clark even swore he saw a man give him a strange salute.

As Clark grew increasingly curious, he felt a gentle tugging on his pant leg. He looked down, and saw a little girl staring at him in wonder. Her golden brown curls bobbed on her head, falling over her black ensemble, and framing her chocolate brown eyes. "Hi" she said cheerfully.

The entire restaurant took a nervous gasp of air. Clark didn't notice.

The girl was no older than 4 or 5, and only came up to his chest when he sat down. She was truly adorable. The girl smiled at him and repeated, "Hi!" almost impatiently. Her voice was high and soothing.

Clark smiled back at her. "Hi." he said back.

"I'm Isabelle. It's my birthday!"

"Happy Birthday, Isabelle! Your getting to be a big girl...Uh, where's your mom?"

Almost as if on cue, the girl was whisked away by her mother, a tall, severe looking woman. The mother began apologizing profusely. Clark explained that it was no big deal, but the mother looked as though she was going to start crying. She started bowing repeatedly to Clark, and Clark, figuring that this was some sort of weird, futuristic handshake, responded by bowing slightly as well. The mother ran out of the Talon, Isabelle in tow, and slapped the child on the bottom as soon as they reached the sidewalk.

The crowd released their breath simultaneously. This time, Clark realized what they were doing. He also realized why.

He ran out of the shop as fast as he could.

_They knew who I was,_ Clark thought, running faster than he ever had in his life. The Kansas grass practically smouldered in his wake.

_They were afraid of me._

_I have nowhere to go...I'm all alone... _

...unless...

Clark stopped on a dime, and turned around. He was going back to the farm. He had to throw himself on Lucy's mercy, no matter what he had to do to gain her trust back. He was too well known to run away--he'd be recognized wherever he went--and anonymity was the only thing he wanted right now.

He arrived at the Kent farm in record time. As he stood on the threshold, doubt began to set in, as he wondered whether or not this was a good idea. _I_ killed_ Lucy's--and my--family and friends. She'll never be able to forgive me._

He raised his arm, preparing to rap on the door. It hung there for a second in hesitation, but, realizing that he had no choice, came down to knock. His fist didn't get anywhere near the door--it flew open from inside. In the doorway stood Lucy and Lois, their eyes puffy and red from crying.

They shut the door in his face


	6. Hostage

Hey guys!

Sorry about the massive delay...my computer died (yet again) and this time we shipped it out to get it fixed, which took quite a while. But here it is!

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* * *

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Chapter 6--Hostage

The crash of the slamming door resonated in the early Kansas dawn, accompanied by the chirping birds sitting in the trees, and the wind whistling past the corn fields. Clark stood frozen on the doorstep, the wooden entrance so close, it brushed against his nose. His gaze never strayed from the door, as though he silently hoped that if he stared long enough, Lois and Lucy would come back for him, welcoming him inside, as if they understood that he, at least at this point in his life, was not an evil dictator, but just plain old Clark. Logic, however, reminded him that staring too long would do nothing but incinerate the doorway, which would only make them angrier. Clark eventually broke his stare, but remained rooted to his spot, unable to muster the strength to walk away.

A sudden rustling from inside the house awakened Clark from his stupor. As he searched for the source of the noise, a tiny glimmer of hope swelled up inside him. _Maybe they've forgiven me after all..._

But his hope was soon extinguished as he realized that the faint rustling was nothing more than the venitian blinds on the kitchen window being shut and the curtains being drawn. Clark's heart sank once again, as he came to the frightening realization that Lois had shut him out of her life forever. He was, for the first time, completely alone.

The emotional pain that Clark felt began to manifest itself into physical symptoms. He could swear that his heart was beating faster, his breathing was more shallow, and his limbs were throbbing as they struggled to support themselves. But as the physical torment quickly escalated, Clark realized that something was terribly wrong.

He felt a pinprick on his shoulder, and everything went black.

* * *

Lois had been awakened by the insane racket downstairs. At first, her drowsiness allowed her to dismiss it as the television volume cranked up a bit too loud, but as she came out of her lethargic state, she began to recognize the voices downstairs. One was unmistakeably Clarks; she had lived with him long enough to know what he sounded like (the fact that he was noticeably absent from the bedroom also served as evidence), and the other, she assumed, was Lucy. What alarmed her was that they were screaming. Lois threw the covers of her bed and sprinted downstairs as fast as she could. Although she couldn't quite make out what they were saying, she knew that something was wrong.

But when she arrived at the foor of the stairwell, she was shocked to see a somewhat placid scene before her. Clark was not even in the room, and Lucy was sitting alone at the dining room table. The only evidence that something was awry was the fact that Lucy was crying, although it wasn't extremely obvious. No tears had fallen from her face, and her sobs were barely audible. But her eyes were red and sad. When she looked at Lois, her face betrayed her true emotions, and Lois felt a wave of sadness rush over her own heart. It was heartbreaking to see this old woman in such distress.

However, Lois did not forget her concern for Clark. She knew that what she heard was not a dream, and was curious as to what had happened. "Where's Clark?" She inquired, as calmly as she could.

"Gone. Good Riddance," Lucy replied. She was obviously bitter about something, and Lois was determined to find out why.

"What do you mean _gone_?" Lois asked.

"Gone, as in out of this house, and he's never welcome back here."

"Where is he?" Lois said, her voice tipped with anger. _What the heck is this woman's problem? Clark's the biggest boy-scout I know, I don't think it's possible for him to piss anybody off...Scratch that, his hero complex just makes him even more annoying...But what could he have possibly done to get Lucy so angry?..._

"Hopefully he dropped dead...make life better for the rest of us..."

"What the hell are you talking about? TELL ME WHERE HE IS!" Lois screamed. There was a pause. "ANSWER ME! I swear if you've done anything to hurt Clark, I'll--"

"You'll what? You don't have the guts to hurt me! I'm old and tired and you feel bad for me...trust me, I know you better than anybody!" She paused. "I haven't hurt your precious Clark, I couldn't hurt him if I tried. The second you two entered this time period, I knew exactly who you were and where you had come from...And don't give me any of that crap about theater students...theaters were outlawed almost 30 years ago, for your information, aside from the plays the government sponsors every once in a while...although I can see how you wouldn't know about that. I know much more about you than you can imagine, and it wouldn't benefit me at all to hurt you, so you can relax...although I'd brace my self for what I'm about to tell you."

Lois was shocked at how much Lucy seemed to know. She lowered her voice, but when she spoke, it cracked in obvious fear and insecurity "How do you know about--what's going on?"

So Lucy told her everything. Everything that had happened in the past 40 years from her fate to Clark's to those of their friends and family. The only thing she left out was Clark's origins--she could have explained it if she wanted to, but she knew that, at least right now, Lois couldn't handle it. She was barely making it through the abridged version of the future. The last thing she needed to worry about now were _two_ psychopathic aliens running around Metropolis--one of whom was her best friend. No, that was a story for another day.

"You...you're wrong," Lois muttered, sobbing. "You're lying. Clark didn't do any of that stuff. He'd never hurt anybody..." Lois had cried throughout Lucy's recount of the events that had brought her, and Clark, to the point in time that they'd found themselves stranded in. She couldn't believe what Lucy told her--_Lucy is actually me, and Clark is a dictator?_ She couldn't even fathom the idea. _He's the kindest, most honest person I know..._

"I know how hard this is for you to hear...but Clark just isn't who you thought he was"

A knock came at the door, disrupting the moment being shared between the two women. With resignation, they both walked to the door to welcome the early-morning visitor, although they thought it was strange that someone would come by so early in the morning. As they opened the door, their mouths fell open at the all-to-familiar face standing before them. Without even thinking, they shut the door. Lucy seemed content with shutting Clark out (she was obvioiusly angry) but Lois immediately regretted it. But she didn't have the guts to open the door and face him either. So she slumped against the doorway and, for the second time in less than an hour, cried hysterically.

Lucy had retreated into the kitchen, and Lois was disturbed by how calm she seemed. It was as though she's forgotten everything that just happened. Lois believed that the older woman she was residing with was indeed her future self, but in some respects they seemed like completely different people. _She must have suffered so much...no wonder she's so strange...am I really going to turn into such a bitter old lady?..._

Lois jumped when she heard the most horrible sound emanate from just beyond the front door. A muffled scream, a few other voices (although she couldn't tell how many), and a sickening thud. She sprang to her feet and opened the door slightly, just so she could peek outside, but enough to remain hidden. She was met with a horrific sight--a limp body was being shoved into a hovercraft, and a small section of grass was being torched by two masked men. She tried to get a closer look at the body, but the face was blocked by the men putting it in the vehicle. But before they closed the trunk, it became visible, and Lois gasped when she realized that it was Clark. A moment later, they were speeding over the horizon.

* * *

When Clark woke, the first thing he noticed was the painful throbbing in his head, and the stinging sensation on his shoulder. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck. _But wait...that wouldn't even hurt me..._ His eyes fluttered open. He was in a bed--a huge bed, now that he looked, much bigger than his own. The walls were stark white, and there was only one small doorway, being guarded by a large man with a gun. Clark bolted upright, his body tensed up, and he realized that he was holding his breath. 

"You're up." The guard said. His voice was low and raspy, and his tone portrayed a sense of disinterest, as though he really didn't care whether Clark lived or died, but is boss obviously did. "Come with me."

The guard dragged Clark out of the bed, and handcuffed him. Clark was now even more afraid. The guard pushed Clark in front of him, and held the gun to his head. He used it to nudge Clark's head toward the direction he wantted him to move. Under normal circumstances, Clark would have broken free from the handcuffs with ease, but his body felt like lead, and all his strength was sucked out of him.

The passageway he was being lead through was immensely bright, but completely devoid of windows. Clark could not tell the exact source of the light--it seemed as though the walls themselves were giving off the light. Several corridors later, Clark arrived at a large doorway, made of solid gold. It was at least 20 feet high, and 10 wide, making it quite an extraordinary presence. Clark was shoved inside, and was amazed by the sight. The walls were stark white, but adorning the walls were paintings and artifacts that Clark guessed were worth a large sum of money. He could have sworn he saw the _Mona Lisa_ on the wall next to the door. Across from the doorway was a desk, it's matching chair holding a man with graying hair and a muscular body, his face hidden as he stared down at some papers on his desk, barely acknowledging Clark's entrance. He did not even look at them when he spoke.

"I brought the man you wanted, Kal-El" The guard said. Clark's mouth fell open. _Oh, crap..._

"Ryan, what on earth do you think you're doing? This is not a common criminal you have in here! Take the handcuffs off him and put your gun away, and get out of my sight." He said, his voice low and commanding.

"But sir, you said--"

"Stop. Stop talking. You obviously misunderstood my orders. You are dismissed."

The guard walked out of the room, shutting the massive doors behind him, leaving Clark and his future self alone in the room.

"You won't be seeing much of that guard anymore, not after that stunt he pulled. At least he didn't cause any damage to you..."

Clark didn't even have time to speak before the Kal-El addressed him. When he lifted his head,

"Hello, Clark. It's been a long time."


	7. Captive

"LUCY!"

Lois ran into the kitchen as fast as she possibly could. Although it wasn't a very long trip, by the time she stopped in front of Lucy, who was cracking eggs into a bowl on the counter, her heart was beating a mile a minute. She stopped on a dime and didn't even take a moment to catch her breath.

"What's the matter?" Lucy asked, concerned.

"Clark...taken...knocked out..." Lois said, barely able to speak.

"Slow down, Lois." Lucy said calmly, as Lois struggled to control her racing heart. "That's it...breathe...now tell me what happened?"

"It's Clark...These guys in masks...they knocked him out...took him away."

"Guys in masks?" Lucy said, skeptical. Lois could not speak any more, so she grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled her to the door, which was wide open now, revealing a fire that the kidnappers had started only a few feet away from the barn, threatening to ignite it at any moment. A slimy, green liquid dripped off the doormat and was slowly being soaked into the earth, but this shred of evidence eluded the women's gazes, as they quickly ran to contain the fire that was an obvious sign of foul play.

Lois ran to the garden, as Lucy pounded the flames with her shoes. Lois returned with ahose, which she used to douse the fire. Once it was succesfully put out, a more shocking piece of evidence came into plain view.

The fire had left a scar on the earth in the shape of a diamond, inside of which was a small, silver envelope. Lucy gasped and stepped back, while Lois took the opposite route and reached to pick up the envelope. Tapping it with her fingers, she determined that it was not too hot, and carefully lifted it off the ground. To her suprise, it was actually quite cold. Her hands trembling, Lois showed the envelope to Lucy. "Do you know what this is?"

Lucy's closed her eyes momentarily. "Y-yes."

"Well what is it?"

"Just open it..."

Lois followed her directions and delicately pulled off the flap that held the contents of the envelope. She reached inside, and was suprised to pull out a square piece of metal, no bigger than her palm. It was perfectly flat and smooth, with no words or markings on it. Lois eyed it strangely, turning it over in her hand a few times to make sure that she wasn't missing something. "Why would they leave us a piece of scrap metal?"

Without warning, Lucy grabbed the metal from Lois and slammed it on the floor, cracking it in half. Lois looked at her in shock. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Wait for it..." was Lucy's reply.

A second or two later, the metal glowed a bright white, and a stream of light emanated from the midpoint of the metal. Lois was even more confused now, seeing that the light coming from it was just a thin ray, bearing no information and seeming to be absolutely useless, aside from being a good reading light. Lucy noticed her expression, and pulled her over 90 degrees from where they were standing, where the thin stream of light was revealed to be a flat hologram, apparently visible from only one side.

If they thought that the day could not possiblly get any weirder, the contents of the glowing message scrolling up before them confirmed that their fun had only just begun.

To whom it may concern:

By decree of Kal-El, Emperor of the planet Earth and it's surrounding satellites, Mr. Clark Kent, who was found to be residing at 100-07 Sunset Road, Smallville, Kansas, was taken into custody on March 21st, 2056 at 7:07 AM for the immenent threat he posed to the Empire, the details of which are confidential and will not be disclosed until a future time. He is being held at the Imperial Palace and is scheduled to be released on Date Unknown.

Sincerely,

The Office for the Ensurement of the Security of the People.

Arthur A. Fox, Chairman

This message will now end transmission.

And the hologram faded away. Lucy picked up the metal hologram projector, which was now charred and black, and sliiped it into her back pocket. "We won't be needing this anymore."

"Lucy! We have to go help Clark!"

"Are you crazy? Let the government take care of him...it's not our problem anymore."

"Yes it is! Clark's still my friend, and I doubt that the government would capture him like a prisoner if he were really as evil as you say he is! Clark, at least Imy/I Clark, is still the same goofy farmboy we all know and love, and I'm not gonna let him get hurt!"

"You're crazy, you know that?" Lucy said.

"Which would mean that technically you are, too. Where's the car?"

"In the garage, but--"

Lucy couldn't finish her statement, because Lois was already running over to the garage to get the hovercar. "It's not gonna help!" Lucy shouted. "Even if you manage to find him, you'll never be able to break him out!"

"Maybe, but I have to try," Lois whispered to herself. She was now strapping herself in the front seat. But one look at the many buttons and dials glowing on the dashboard and she found herself scratching her head, trying to remember how Lucy did it yesterday. On a whim, she picked a promising looking red button, and pressed it. The car sprang to life, but began speeding backwards, until it crashed through the garage and stopped when it sensed the collision. Lois was fine, aside from being a bit shaken up, but the garage was in much worse shape. Lucy ran over.

"You idiot!" Lucy yelled.

"Yes, Lucy, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Lois said sarcastically, massaging her neck

"I didn't want to come with you, but you're obviously not gonna back down, and I can't exactly let you kill yourself in this thing. I can't let you go out in those clothes either...Get in the house and change. And II'm/I driving."

I'Hello Clark. It's been a long time...'

This isn't happening. This can't possibily be happenning. There is no where in hell that this is happening. I gotta pinch myself and wake up...nope still here. Crap. Super crap. Crap with a cherry on top.../I

"Clark?"

Clark snapped out of it. He had been staring straight at his future self, not realizing that it had been about a minute since Kal-El had addressed him initially. Clark came extremely close to punching him in the face, but his body was still too weak to make any sort of damage. So he simply tried as hard as he could not to faint.

"Sit down. You must be tired." Clark followed his orders, figureing that now would be a bad time to rock the boat. The seat was rather uncomfortable, as if to send a message that nobody was really 'welcome' in this office. Kal-El reached under his desk, and Clark tensed up, ready to bolt. But he pulled out not kryptonite, not even a gun, but a bowl filled with colorfully wrapped chocolate kisses. "Have some candy...you look like you could use it..."

Clark eyed him strangely, thinking that this kind gesture seemed out of character for the dictator. He took a chocolate out of courtesy, but did not eat it, since his suspicions were still high. Kal-El seemed to read his mind, shrugged, and popped a candy into his mouth.

"Why am I here?" Clark asked. It wasn't the foremost question on his mind, but asking 'How the hell did you manage to knock me out and carry me here and why the heck do you keep choclate kisses under your desk and what the hell is wrong with you anyway!' seemed too heavy for a first request.

Kal-El laughed. He seemed amused by Clark's cluelessness, as though he remembered the time when he was a young, stupid, major-league boy scout.

"Well that's quite a complicated question. If you want to know why you're in this time period, I brought you here. If you want to know why you're in my office, it's because I wanted to see you...me...again. What's wrong with that?"

"And why is Lois here? She has nothing to do with any of this!" Clark was getting angry now.

"It's not my fault you two went for a joyride at the exact moment that I sent out the time machine. At least you have company." Kal-El smiled. He did have an ulterior motive for sending Lois to the future. She was gorgeous, and he still loved her to death. He figured that having Lois' younger, less Iangry/I version around the palace would be nice on those lonely Metropolis nights. Hey, dictators need love, too.

Kal-El snapped out of his reverie as he overheard Clark mutter "Asshole," under his breath, and remembered why exactly he had brought Clark here.

"You're so young, full of energy, trying to do what's best for the world. Don't you think I feel the same way? People need guidance, Clark, and that's exactly what I'm doing here with this government. Guiding the humans to a greater good. That's all I ever wanted to do, isn't that what you want, too?"

"Not if it means Imurdering/I innocent people whose 'crime' was getting in your way! You killed your friends and family, do you have ANY remorse?" Clark shot back. He didn't buy Kal-El's speech for a second.

"A few must be sacrificed for the good of the many."

"What kind of crackpot philosophy is that! You're a tyrant! You rule by fear and intimidation! What kind of empire is that?"

"It is better to be feared than loved. Machievelli said that."

"I goddamn know who said it! I took high school history! And I know enough about it to say that no dictatorship lasts forever! Sure, it may work for a while, but eventually you'll get cocky, and you'll get overthrown! It's not gonna last forever...IKal/I.

Kal-El seemed unfazed. "IAu contrare/I, my naive friend. Such limitations only hold to humans. One human is no different than another, they're all on level ground, so to speak. It's easy for one human to overthrow another. But you and I both know that we are much more than human. We're above these mud-dwellers, and we can control them forever."

"IWe/I? I'll never be like you..."

"I beg to differ. I'm still sitting here aren't I?" Kal-El answered, his voice aloof and apathetic. His very tone made Clark simmer even more.

"How did this happen to me?" Clark said, addressing himself more than Kal-El, but still expecting some sort of explanation as to how he had changed so much.

"What would be the fun in telling you that? Then you could just go and stop it! I won't tell you, at least not yet. You're too corrupted by the humans right now."

"You heartless bastard! You're sitting here on your high horse, spitting out proverbs like you were a damn fortune cookie, and you're so stuck up that you can't even see the amount of lives you've ruined! The amount of people you've stepped on and used to get to where you are now! Do you have any guilt at all?"

"Emotions are for the weak. I realize that I'm much better off without them."

"What the heck are you talking about? You can't get rid of emotions? Or are you too blinded by power to even Ifeel/I anymore?" Clark shouted. He was enraged.

Kal-El simply stared in silence, which infuriated Clark more. "ANSWER ME!" He shouted. Kal-El seemed unfazed. Clark was steaming by now. Kal-El looked at his watch, and then spoke to Clark.

"5...4...3...2..1.."

Almost on cue, Clark began convulsing. He fell on the floor, writhing in pain, but unable to scream. His insides were on fire, and his body moved involuntarily, but he sensed every motion with an enhanced sense of his own body, serving to increase the pain even further.

"Timed kryptonite injection," Kal-El said indifferently. "Delayed so that every hour or so, you'll be pumped with a fresh dose of our little green friend. Not quite strong enough to kill you, but it hurts like hell, and one injection can last for weeks. I Ido/I have an antidote, if you'll agree to stay with me and train under my leadership, so that when I send you back home you'll be fit and ready to rule. Everybody wins! Deal?"

The pain was intensifying with every moment. Before he fell unconcious, Clark mustered all his remaining energy and said, quite simply, "Screw you."

Lucy and Lois, who now both wore the national uniform sped over the fields of Kansas. Lucy drove with a recklessness that stemmed out of her urgency to get to Clark. Well, more like Lois' urgency, as she was constantly pestering Lucy to go faster and shouting at her periodically. Lucy was beginning to feel remorseful about sending Clark away. She knew that Clark had no idea of what he was destined to be; His reactions when she told him the news were genuine.

"Can't you go any faster?" Lois asked. Her hands clung to the seat, and she tapped her feet in impatience.

"There is something called the speed of sound, Lois. I don't think it's wise to go faster than it."

"Who needs sound anyway? I just need to get to Clark as soon as possible."

"You really care for him, don't you?"

Lois thought about it for a moment. As annoying as he was, she cared for him a lot. But she was too worried to focus on her emotions at the moment, so she pushed them to the back of her mind and focused on one thing.

Getting to Clark.

They were coming in over Metropolis now. Dodging buildings, pedestrians, and other vehicles, Lucy clung to the wheel and floored the gas, propelling them through the city at incredible speeds. Lois was too frightened of crashing to even move.

They stopped on a dime in front of a building in the center of the city, causing Lois and Lucy to jerk fowards from the inertia. Once they recovered, the sized up the structure that lay before them. The building stood alone amidst a quarter mile of freshly cut grass and bright gardens. The building was a stark contrast to its warm surroundings, as it was completely black and extended even higher (if that was even possible) than the rest of the skyscrapers in the city. It was quite a spectacle, attracting droves of camera-toting tourists, who 'ooohed' and 'aaahed' at it's presence. Lois thought it looked like a horrible giant box marring an otherwise pretty landscape.

"We're here," Lucy announced.

"Where exactly Iare/I we?"

"The Imperial Palace. This is where Clark is."

"IThis/I is the Imperial Palace? It looks like a warehouse." Lois replied.

"I know. I hate it too. Can't say much for Kal-El's taste in architecture."

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Lois began. "Why does Clark call himself Kal-El in the future?"

Lucy sighed. "It's a long story. Come on, we have to get inside."

Lois and Lucy left the hovercar in an empty parking space, and walked towards the palace. Lois was scared, and her mannerisms betrayed her hidden fear, as she looked around nervously and crossed her arms to her chest, as though she was trying to protect herself. Lucy, on the other hand, held her head up high as she strolled galantly to the door, where she confronted a guard at the door. Although the guard was a tall, burly man, at least a foot taller than the women and holding a gun, Lucy seemed confident as she stood in front of him.

"And who might you be ma'am?" the guard asked, almost trying to intimidate Lucy. "This sector's off limits to the general public."

Lucy was not alarmed, and very calmly pulled a slip out of her pocket, and flashed it at the guard. He scanned it with a strange machine hanging from his belt, and stepped aside, letting the two women pass through, without so much as an escort. When they were safely out of view of the guard, they slipped into a corner and sprinted down the hallway

"What just happened?" Lois asked Lucy, still running.

"Perks of being married to the Emperor, even if we are separated right now." Lucy said. She was running right along with Lois, keeping up the pace. She was in terrific shape for a woman her age, and Lois was thoroughly impressed.

They stopped when they reached an elevator, and casually stepped inside. The guard inside the elevator looked at them suspiciously. "Which floor?" he asked, as standard procedure.

"114th Central"

"May I see your permit?"

Lucy took out her wallet and reached inside, removing a small white card. She handed it over to the guard, who scanned it over, and pressed a button on the elevator. It traveled upwards and, to Lois' suprise, sideways as well. Her stomach tumbled at the unusual sensation, and she was relieved when the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Once they left the elevator, Lucy took Lois' hand and pulled her closer to her. Whispering in Lois' ear, she said "Don't speak at all. Don't even breathe. Just follow me. And if you see Clark, just tap me on the shoulder. But let me do Iall/I the talking.

114th Central was located in the center of the building, and was absolutely off limits to visitors, not to mention most personnel. It was the containment ward for all political prisoners. Their quarters were dark and musty, with crude steel bars locking the men and women inside like animals. Most of the prisoners here were very well to do individuals, often educated and extremely intelligent. It was for this reason that they were viewed as a threat to the Empire, and were incarcerated. Some had managed to escape from their cells, but none made it past the first elevator, where they were shot and killed. The Empire had destroyed more great minds than was probably wise, and cynics secretly called it "The Dimwit Empire," seeing as the government had managed to place most of the intelligent citizens in jail. Kal-El did not care--in his opinion, he was smart enough to do all the thinking for the world.

Lois and Lucy came across yet another guard who asked them for papers. "Which cell are you looking for?" he asked.

"The cell that holds Mr. Clark Kent." Lois said. Lucy glared at her, but the damage was already done, and Lucy attempted to recover.

"He's of no personal interest to us, really. Kal-El just asked me to check up on him. I'm Kal-El's wife."

The guard looked at her papers again to check, and, seeing who she really was, backed off. "He's down the hallway, the cell all the way back there." He pointed to two silver doors at the end of the hallway. The women thanked the guard, and walked over to the giant doors. Lois tugged fiercely at the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. Lucy interrupted, "It has a password." She pointed to the keypad next to the door. Lois gave up and sighed. "Now how are we supposed to get in there? His password could be anything!"

Lucy smiled, and pressed in a 4-digit combination. The door let out a giant hiss, signaling that it was now unlocked. "How did you know the password?" Lois asked.

"Somethings never change. Just so you know, the password's 5-4-6-7. L-O-I-S." Lucy said. Lois was Imore/I than creeped out, seeing that Clark, or at least his future self, was obsessed with her. A shiver ran down her spine.

Remembering why they were there, Lois came back to reality, and opened the door.


	8. Escape

two cokes, a meatball sub, and a trip through the DC art galleies later, I have an update just begging to be read. I'd write more, but I'm exhausted. It's kinda long ish sorta.

And now, the 8th installment of Wormhole...

**Chapter 8: Escape**

Lois had never seen Clark hurt before. So the sight that she encountered when she burst open the double doors leading to Clark's cell unnerved her quite a bit.

The room was enourmous and freezing cold, and was painted a blinding white. It reminded Lois of a giant refrigerator. In the center of the room was a twin bed, covered in sheets that Lois assumed were once white, but at this moment were soaked in fresh blood. It didn't take Lois long to make the connection that the blood was coming from Clark, whose body was lying limp on the bed. Lucy confronted the guard at the door in an attempt to make him leave, leaving Lois free to run to Clark's bedside.

"Clark," she whispered. "Are you awake?"

Clark stirred slightly, but moaned in pain as he came back to conciousness. He was weakened by the Kryptonite, and even the slightest movement sent a wave of pain through his body. He struggled to opened his eyes, and was met with Lois' staring back at him, her face wrinkled in concern. Clark's face broke into a soft smile.

_She came back for me._

Lois looked at Clark in his weakened state, and did all she could to hold back the tears in her eyes. _What have they done to you, Clark?_ But Lois realized that she couldn't show the slightest emotion; It would jeopardize Clark's rescue. So she left Clark's bedside. Clark looked at her leave, his heart breaking. _No...don't go._

Lois put on a brave face and joined Lucy on the other side of the room. She was suprised to see Lucy playfully flirting with the guard, who's sun damaged face made him appear about 60, but his muscles rivaled those of a man half his age. The guard was blushing madly as Lucy fawned over him. "Run down to the South Wing and get me a cappucino, will you Jimmy?" Lucy said, giggling and nudging him on the side.

"Anything for you, ma'am."

"Call me Lucy. And when you come back, I'll show you some of what we were talking about earlier." Lucy winked at him. Jimmy nodded in silent approval, and sprinted down the hallway. "And put some whipped cream on it!" She shouted after him.

Once Jimmy disappeared down the hallway, Lucy locked the cell doors. "Pervert. Still, I guess I could have just ordered him out of the room, but this was much more fun. I still got it, eh Lois?"

Lois didn't hear her; she was already by Clark's side, not waisting a moment to get back to him.

Lois was truly sorry that she had ever caused Clark so much pain. She had shut him out, and look where he was because of it? Lying half dead on a cot in a prison cell (even if it was a rather nice-looking prison cell). She ripped the sheets off of him, and sized up what kind of shape he was in. Blood was gushing from his shoulder, but through the black jumpsuit he wore it was barely visible. He looked more like he'd spilled a beverage on his arm than anything. Lois removed the top of his outfit to see the damage. The bleeding came from a puncture wound, almost like an injection gone bad, with a needle the that was at least size of her pinky. She ripped off a section of the sheets and, as tightly as she could, wrapped them around his shoulder in a bandage. Lucy helped her get his shirt back on, and Clark looked good as new.

"Can you walk, Clark?" Lucy asked.

"I think so," Clark whispered. His entire body was aching, but since he had awoken, some of his strength was coming back to him. The kryptonite was starting to wear off, at least temporarily.

"Lucy...what if they have camera's in the room?" Lois asked, realizing that somebody could have been watching their every move.

"They don't. They don't need them. What they _do_ have are enough guards to sieze a small country." Lucy answered. "Clark, how's your evil dictator impression? I need you to help us get out of here." Clark thought her request was odd, but seeing the look on her face told him that Lucy was absolutely serious. He wanted her to pretend he was Kal-El. Clark stood up slowly and, grabbing Lois and Lucy's arms for support, took the first few careful steps toards the door. Once he got his bearings, and felt secure enough to stand up on his own, he continued on without them. Lucy unlocked the door peeked out side. Seeing that the hallway was empty of all guards and other workers, she motioned that it was safe to leave the cell. Lois and Lucy stood extremely close to Clark in case he should fall, and they trudged out of the room. It was a slow, painful trip to the elevator, but a few minutes later, they were safely at the end of the hallway, waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"OK, Clark, here's what I need you to do. Ask the guard inside to take you to level 1-North. That's the service exit; It's the safest way for you to go unnoticed by the public when we get outside. If anybody asks you for ID, I need you to channel Kal and be as much of a bastard as you can. Think like a dictator. Got that?" Lucy explained quickly. The elevator was fast approaching, and she needed to make sure that Clark wouldn't do something to give himself away. Clark didn't even have time to reply before the elevator signaled it's arrival on their floor.

As the elevator doors opened, Clark instinctively picked up his posture and raised his head, forcing himself into the mindset that he had when exposed to red Kryptonite. He made sure that he entered the elevator first, as a sign of superiority, and wiped all the emotion from his face. Lucy and Lois scurried in after him, and the elevator doors shut.

"1-North, and step on it. I don't have all day," Clark said, his tone and mannerisms as pompous as he could manage. He didn't even bother to look at the guard, and kept his gaze high.

"I need to see your permit sir."

"_Sir_? Is this some sort of joke?" Clark turned to face the guard, who flinched when he saw him. Clark's voice never rose above a normal speaking level, like Kal-El normally spoke, but his tone was stern and commanding nonetheless. "Because, quite frankly, I don't find it funny at all. I should send you to the gallows for that comment, or maybe I'll just incinerate you myself. Now show some respect, because my patience is wearing thin, and you really wouldn't be such a miserable loss for the empire anyway. The ball's in your court...choose wisely." Clark said, rather convincingly. Years of hiding his secret had honed his acting ability, especially since he started living on his one. Having an apartment next to Lois meant that he had to be twice as careful with his powers, since had a nasty habit of barging into his house unannounced , and occasionaly he'd have to make up a lie at a moment's notice. To Clark, playing Kal was a cakewalk.

The guard squinted his eyes and examined Clark closely. "You look different. Younger."

"It's a little too late for sucking up, isn't it? Just take me to 1-North, and I'll decide what to do with you later." Clark recovered. The guard seemed satisfied, if not petrified, and started the elevator. It seemed like Clark would get out of this hellhole a lot easier than he'd imagined.

The elevator buzzed when it reached their floor. It opened to a concrete hallway, with the glow of sunlight shining through the double doors about 20 feet away, their portal to freedom. Clark, Lucy, and Lois burst out of the elevator, eager to escape the scrutinizing gaze of the guard who, despite Clark's stellar performance, seemed to doubt the validity of Clark's claim that he was indeed Kal-El. He would probobly report back to his superiors as soon as he could, seriously cutting down the amount of time they would have to leave the premises. The elevator shut, and they began their race for the exit.

"You pulled that off a little _too_ well," Lois said, looking straight at Clark. Normally, such a comment would be taken as a joke, easily laughed off by both Clark and Lois, who had grown to love each other's digs. But the comment hit Clark hard. The last thing he wanted to become was a bitter old dictator, but with every passing moment it seemed as though he would never be able to escape his destiny. Clark shivered at the thought.

They finally reached the door. Even though Clark had only been captive for about 3 hours, it felt like an eternity of torture. Today had been the day from hell, and he was eager to get back home, away from this nightmarish future. So, without hesitation, he burst open the doors.

Every face in the room looked straight at him, and it dawned on Clark--They were at the wrong exit.

Instead of the service exit that they had expected, Clark, Lucy, and Lois were inside an enourmous Lobby, filled to capacity with wide-eyed tourists, who stood with their mouths open at the unexpected entrance of their 'ruler'. Some clapped and cheered, others stood in silent reverence in Clark's presence.

"Lucy?" Clark muttered from the corner of his mouth. "I thought you said we'd leave without anybody seeing us here."

"Crap. We were supposed to go to 1-Northeast for the service exit." Lucy said, smacking herself on the head. "1-North is the main entrance. I guess I forgot."

"You _forgot_!" Lois asked.

"Give me a break. It's been years since I've lived here. Just walk through the crowd, they wont do anything to you. I'm gonna run ahead and bring the car around so nobody outside will see you."

Lucy ran off, leaving Lois and Clark out in the open. Clark still had a bit of a limp, which threw many of the spectators for a loop, considering that all their lives, they had heard rumors that Kal-El was invulnerable. Cameras snapped in rapid succesion, and cell phones flew open as exited tourists called their friends to tell them who they had just seen. Even though the people seemed thrilled rather than angry or afraid, Clark couldn't help but feel ashamed. Even though Kal-El's crimes were not his own, he felt a certain responsibility for the lives of subjugation that he had forced upon all mankind. Something inside of himself had allowed him to become such a monster, and he guessed that, like a time bomb, he had snapped. He believed Jor-El to be the culprit--it was the only explanation--but he had no one but himself to blame. He had been fooled, and he had given in.

Lois and Clark reached the exit physically, but not emotionally, unscathed. Lois was upset, but her sadness was nothing compared to Clark's. He was a wreck, and his face showed it. His eyes were tired and welling up with tears. He had never cried this much in his life--he usually hid his emotions, never admitting that anything was wrong, and always wearing a brave face. But this was too much to handle, and he let the tears flow.

Lucy pulled up by Lois and Clark, who were beginning to attract a crowd outside the palace. The hopped in the car, and Lucy sped off at lightning speeds. They were safe...for now.

Lois and Clark sat in the back seat, neither able to make a sound. His eyes didn't stray from the people who had gathered to get a glimpse of him, until they disappeared behind the Metropolis skyscrapers.

"Are you OK?" Lois asked.

"What do you think," Clark shot back. Lois recoiled--She realized that Clark had all the reason in the world to act this way, but she was not used to seeing him so angry.

She tried again. "How's your shoulder?"

"Lois, now's not the time. Really, just--just stop it."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. When the hovercar landed on the soft grass next to the Kent farm, Clark jumped out of the car and limped as quickly as he could towards the door. Lois and Lucy ran after him, calling his name but he didn't stop. All he saw was the door. He just wanted to get inside, lock himself in his room, and spend his time alone.

But, as he took the first step onto the porch, a familiar pain shot up his bad arm, and he stopped in his tracks. _The kryptonite..._

Next thing he knew he was on the floor. His body thrashed in the dirt, and his entire body felt as if it was on fire. Lois and Lucy were there in an instant. They tried to hold him steady, but he was too strong to contain.

"Clark!" Lois shouted. "What's going on, what's happening!"

"Kry--kryptonite..." Clark stammered. He knew Lucy would understand.

"What did he say?" Lois said. Lucy seemed not to hear her.

"Where is it, Clark?"

There was no answer.


	9. Desperation

Tell me I'm not quick!

GO UPDATES!

This chapter's a bit shorter than the last few, and the ending's a bit icky. Icky as in "OMG OUCHY!". But I am trying to make this completely realistic (other than the whole time travel/aliens/evil dictator part (lol)) and most people don't have kryptonite anditodes in their pantries. (this will make sense later)

a/n: there wont be any TC in the true sense of the word. Clark's gonna suffer a bit, but I refuse to describe the gory details. This holds for the next chapter as well. So, if you're like me and blood creeps you out, fear not. It isn't gonna be as bad as it sounds. OK well maybe it will be, but I sure as hell aint writing about all of it.

a/n,part II: I just wanted to make this point. I'm really trying to accentuate the vast differences between Lois and Lucy in this story. Even though they're the same person, Lucy is much older and therefore more mature, whereas Lois is still quite young, hence why she seems to have more trouble accepting everything. She's 21 in this story and, as far as I'm concerned, still has a lot of growing up to do.

**Chapter 9: Desperation**

Clark was out cold. Mud and grass covered his body as he thrashed on the ground, and his arm was bleeding worse than ever, staining the fresh morning grass and leaving a bright red trail behind. The convulsions soon stopped, but his pulse and breathing remained weak.

"Lucy, what's wrong with him? Clark!" Lois panicked. "Wake up! Lucy help me! WAKE UP, CLARK!" She picked up his head held it in her lap, her tears falling onto his cheeks and mixing with blood from the newly formed cuts on his face. He looked so peaceful now, and that was what worried her the most. She might lose him forever.

Lucy knew exactly what was wrong. Somewhere on Clark's person was kryptonite, a name that Lois didn't recognize when Clark said it, but that Lucy knew all too well. She couldn't risk taking him to a doctor, not with his heritage and his reputation in this future, which was proving to be quite a hassle for both Clark and herself.

"Help me get him inside."

So Lucy took Clark's legs and Lois grabbed Clark's torso, and they hoisted him into the house. He was lighter than Lois had expected, but much to big to be carried by one person alone. They set him down on the couch, which was as far as they dared to carry him for now. His arms hung limply over the edge of the sofa, and his skin, barely visible through the splotches of dirt and blood, was extremely pale and greenish. Lucy tried several times to wake him up, dousing him with cold water, even trying to shake him awake, but to no avail. He was alive, yes, but barely.

"We need to take off his clothes and see what kind of shape he's in," Lucy said. If their was indeed kryptonite near him, she needed to get rid of it as soon as she could, because she didn't know how much longer he'd last.

"All of them?" Lois said. She knew that she had to do it for Clark's sake, but considered putting up a fight anyway, using all the snark she possessed in her body to create the illusion that she would rather die than see Clark naked. But that was all it was-an illusion. She didn't really mind seeing Clark naked, and in any other situation might have even enjoyed it. But in her denial, she had been forced put up a mask. It was one that she had grown accustomed to, so much so that, even in this dire circumstance, she could not quite remember how to take off.

"Give me a break Lois. Now's not time for you to play the 'dainty damsel in distress' and who would _die_ if, heaven forbid, she saw a man naked. Shut up and take of his goddamn pants." Lucy commanded. She was in no mood for Lois' games.

So off came the clothes, underwear and all. Lucy ran outside to dump the clothing, assuming that they were tainted with kryptonite, and Lois was left to examine Clark's body. She made sure that her eyes stayed clear of Clark Jr., but her search was thorough nonetheless. He looked asolutely fine from the front, exept for a bruise peeking out from under the makeshift bandage that wrapped his shoulder. But when she ripped the bandage off, she was repulsed by what she saw. His entire upper arm was a sickening black. Frantic, Lois turned Clark over to size up his backside, and was shocked to see that the bruise covered his entire upper back. radiating from the puncture wound that Lois had seen earlier. Near the puncture the shoulder was a deep black, but faded to green further out. A green liquid dripped from the hole, telling Lois that something was seriously wrong.

"See anything?" Lucy asked as she reentered the room. She had found no green rocks anywhere on his clothes, and knew that there was no kryptonite anywhere in the area; it had all been removed years ago. She hoped that Lois had found something.

Lois did not reply to Lucy; she feared that if she so much as opened her mouth, she would throw up. The wound was unsightly and foul smelling, as though the flesh was rotting right off Clark's bones. She pointed Lucy towards the damage. Lucy recognized the wound immediately.

"What is it?" Lois asked.

Lucy inspected the wound closely. The signs were all there, but she could hardly believe that Kal-El would hurt Clark like this.

"It's a torture device."

Lois could hardly believe her ears. "A _torture_ device? How do you know?"

"I've seen it dozens of times. A capsule is injected into a person's body, about the size of a jellybean, containing highly concentrated amounts of poison. Every hour or so, is releases some into the bloodstream. It's used to torture stubborn prisoners, to get them to confess or give out information that the government wants. If left in the body, it can last for weeks, and can even lead to...death."

"So Clark's being _poisoned_?" Lois cried. "Why would they do that to him!"

Lucy could only begin to imagine why. Kal was a sick man, and this stunt only proved it further.

"We have to get it out. Now." Lucy declared. She inferred that the capsule in him was filled with kryptonite rather than conventional poison, and was afraid that, if he was exposed too long, he would die. But the only thing standing in her way was the fact that, while she could cure a poison victim with ease, she how no idea how to cure kryptonite poisoning, in an _alien_, no less. Her mind raced to find a solution, and the only possible answer she could think of was far too gruesome for her to consider.

But fear that Clark would die if left untreated caused her to propose the radical idea to Lois.

"We need to cut it out."


	10. Miracles

Ask and you shall recieve!

I just got so scared...I almost lost the whole update cuz i'd never saved it smacks self on head

Anyway, I worked through the piercing headache that recent lack of sleep has given me (which, thanks to the miracles of painkillers, is now gone, although the hints of impending illness remain), and managed to finish the update! Thank you all so much for the reviews, as they are my strongest incentive to write. Serioulsly...

Warning: I'm a bit afraid of this chapter, but I really reeeaaally have to post it already. I feel all crazy hyper if I don't. (you have _no_ idea what im talking about, do you?)

Good news!...a teensy weensy miniscule bit of almost Clois. Sort of.  
Here it is!

**Chapter 10: Miracles**

_The Imperial Palace_

As soon as Clark, Lois, and Lucy had left the elevator, the guard that had transported them reached for his transmittor, knowing that something fishy was going on with those three. He dialed the frequency of the guards on Kal-El's floor, and spoke.

"Agent 742-C calling Squad 7B. Requesting current location of the Emperor."

"Message recieved 742-C. This is Agent 013 of Squad B. Emperor Kal-El is currently in his main office."

"Has he left at all in the past few minutes?"

"Negative."

"Thanks...over and out." The guard ended the transmission. He was now certain that whoever the man was that he had just seen in the elevator was surely not who he claimed to be. He pressed the top button on the elevator, and made his way towards Kal-El's office.

The elevator buzzed after the long journey to the top floor. The Emperor's office was at the top of the palace, where it was almost completely secluded from the outside world. The guard strolled down the hallway, exited that he was about to deliver important news to the Emperor himself. He was sure that he would get a decent pay raise after this meeting. He pressed the doorbell next to the huge golden doors sealing the office.

"What is it?" A voice rang from the speaker next to the door. The guard recognized it as Kal-El's, and his stomach started doing backflips.

"I have urgent information for you, Kal-El."

There was no response, worrying the guard, but a second later, the huge doors swung open, revealing an impatient looking Kal-El sitting at his desk, staring at the guard as though beckoning him to speak. The guard jumped as the doors shut tight behind him.

"I have urgent information for you--"

"Don't bother," Kal answered back "I already know... In fact, I suspected that you'd be halfway to Mars by now." He was clearly agitated, but his voice never rose above normal speaking level. He could have just as easily have been talking about the weather.

"Wh--why would I do that?" The guard's voice shook. This was not going as planned.

"The boy in the elevator?" Kal said. "Yes! Now I can see the wheels of thought turning in your head. You know exactly who I'm talking about. The question is, why did you let him leave?"

"Kal-El, your majesty, the boy looked just like you. He even acted just like you. It was an honest mistake."

"Ahh, but a mistake that may end up costing me dearly. And you know how much I don't like it when that happens. And when I'm not happy," he paused, "_Nobody's_ happy."

The guard's hands were shaking, and he was sweating heavily. Kal's eyes were staring straight at him, but not at his face, as would normally be expected, but instead they were focused at his chest. The guard felt as though the spot where Kal-El was staring was burning up, but he dismissed it as fear. But soon the pain grew to much to bear. In respect for Kal-El, he didn't dare move from the spot, even to scratch at the burning area, but remained stiff as a board. But despite his efforts to calm himself, a shocking pain ripped through his chest.

The last thing the guard ever saw were Kal-El's glowing red eyes, still staring at him. He fell to the ground with a thud, the hole running straight through his torso still smouldering.

_

* * *

_

"We have to cut it out."

"Cut it out? We can't do that ourselves! There's got to be another way...We need to get him to a doctor!" Lois cried. She couldn't stomach the thought of basically performing _surgery_ on Clark.

"We can't take him to a doctor! Everyone in the world knows who he is! The last thing he needs to catch the attention of the government right now, or end up with some rogue doctor who wants to kill him! We have to get it out, and we have to get it out _now_." Lucy answered. She was between a rock and a hard place, knowing full well that, while she could be wrong with her diagnosis and could possibly cause more damage, it was their only hope at the moment for saving Clark. Their chances of success were slim, considering that Lucy was far from a capable surgeon, but it was the tiny chance of saving Clark that drove Lucy to her decision.

Lucy and Lois didn't even take the time to wash the blood and dirt off Clark's body, not knowing how much time they had to get the capsule out. They didn't even bother moving him upstairs to his bed, where he would be more comfortable when..._if_...he woke up. So he remained on the couch, filthy from his fall, as Lucy ran into the kitchen to get some supplies, leaving Lois alone with Clark to ponder her thoughts. Lois clutched his hand tightly, and was startled when Clark shifted when he sensed her touch. He was still unconcious...and considering what Lucy was about to do to him, she prayed he would stay that way, at least for a little while.

Lucy returned with a large pot, making Lois wonder what use it could possibly serve. When she set it down on the ground, Lois stared at the contents, and the realization that they were really going to cut the capsule out hit her like a brick. The pot was filled with water, a dishcloth sitting at the bottom. Some small plyers and a paring knife floated on top. Lucy's hands were covered by fresh dishwashing gloves.

"Couldn't carry it all at once, so I just shoved everything in here," Lucy said. Without hesitation, she removed the wet cloth from the pot, and rubbed it over Clark's shoulder to remove the grime that had built up over it. Clark shivered, and Lois grabbed his hand even tighter.

As Lucy reached for the knife and positioned it over the puncture in Clark's shoulder and, without any hesitation, she drove the blade into Clark's flesh. Lois watched the first cut, and realized that she couldn't bear to look on anymore. She jerked her head the other way, refusing to see Lucy work. By now, her grasp on Clark's hand was so tight that his knuckles were turning white. Lois turned back around, her face grimacing and her eyes carefully avoiding Clark's damaged shoulder. She looked at Lucy's face. Her expression was one of the utmost determination, a tiny bead of sweat forming on her brow, even though she had been working for, at the most, 30 seconds. She was focused on getting the capsule out as quickly and cleanly as she could. Lucy was doing her best not to completely mutilate Clark's shoulder, even though she knew that it would heal as soon as the kryptonite was gone.

Though Lucy was obviously disturbed by what she was doing, Lois could not help but admire her bravery. _How is she able to do all this? I can't even look at Clark's shoulder without turning into a complete mess, yet here she is, cutting his shoulder open without so much as a sniffle...Why can't I be brave like that? I know that Clark may...die...but if I was in her situation I don't think I'd be able to cut him open...Even though me and Lucy are the same person, she's so different...she takes action, while I'm sitting here, completely useless..._

And faster than Lois could even finish her thoughts, she heard a sickening squelch, and Lucy breathe a sigh of relief. "Got it," she declared triumphantly. Lois released her death grip on Clark, and felt as though a thousand-pound boulder was lifted off her chest. She caught a glimpse of the glistening item in Lucy's hand--it was splotched with blood, but through it Lois could see a bright green liquid sloshing back and forth in it's clear container. Lucy had underplayed the size of the capsule--it was much larger than a jellybean, closer in size to a handheld pencil-eraser. She realized that this "Kal" sure as hell meant business.

Lucy ran outside with the kryptonite. She had to get it away from Clark fast, so that he could begin to heal. As she ran, a new memory entered her mind, that of Lois sitting over Clark's body, wondering what she should do with his bleeding wound. She debated whether to go back and help Lois, but decided against it._She has to figure it out on her own..._

Lois paced around the living room, unsure of what to do with Clark's shoulder. He was bleeding heavily. She did not know whether to sew him up herself or wait for Lucy to do it. She tried to call Lucy, but did not recieve an answer. Lois realized that she was running out of time--although she knew nothing about medicine, she deduced that nobody could survive with the amount of blood that Clark was losing. As if by instinct, she sprinted into the kitchen, and noticed that Lucy had left some bandages and other medical supplies on the counter. Grabbing them, she ran back to Clark, and prepared to stitch him up herself. Lois tried to reassure herself, saying that she had spent enough time running around military hospitals with the General as a kid to figure out how to sew up a wound. Still, she was terrified.

But as Lois kneeled by Clark, needle in hand, she saw something that amazed her.

In the few seconds that Lois had spent gathering supplies, Clark's heavy bleeding had been reduced to a mere trickle. _What the heck..._ She rubbed her eyes, pinched herself, anything to prove to herself that what she was seeing was not a dream

Right before her eyes, the bruise on his shoulder and back was shrinking, leaving pink, healthy skin in it's wake. It faded to a small spot over the puncture, which Lois was shocked to see shrink as well. Her eyes were fixated on the spot, and she did not even dare to breathe. In a matter of seconds, Clark's arm was as good as new. She released the breath from her lungs that was beginning to burn in her chest, and ran her fingers over the area where Clark's wound had been. She recoiled when she felt smooth, soft skin replacing the once rotten flesh on his arm. Any trace of injury was gone. Lois did not quite know what to think. Was this that secret that Chloe had cried to Lois about all through high school? Or was it something else?

_Either way...it's a miracle._

But her desire to examine the wound more closely was overcome by her desire to avoid what was sure to be an awkward conversation between her and Clark. He was already beginning wake up, and Lois wrapped the wound with layers and layers of bandages, trying to make it look authentic. As she pinned up the bandage, Clark awoke.

Clark was unsure of where he was or how he had gotten there, but as his vision cleared up, he recognized that he was in his living room, Lois standing over him. The whole seen reminded him of his rescue from the palace. "Lois,"

Lois couldn't help but smile when Clark spoke to her. He was back for good.

"You look like hell," Clark whispered to Lois. Her hair was matted and covered with dirt, her clothes stained with blood and her mascara running down her cheeks in thin streams. Lois would normally have been insulted by this comment, but when Clark cracked a smile, she knew that he was joking, probably thinking to himself that he looked ten times worse.

"I could say the same about you, Smallville," Lois shot back, chuckling as the words left her mouth.

"Are we back home?" Clark said. "I mean, really _home_?"

Lois' smile faded. "No Clark, we're still here," she answered, and Clark's smile faded as well. When Clark first woke up, he had placed himself back in his own time period, sitting on his own bed, a sensation similar to the one felt when taking a vacation. But, while his brain assumed that he was still in the future, his heart held on to the hope that they were finally home.

Lois felt horrible when she saw Clark's reaction, the hint of hope that was briefly present in his eyes extinguished. It was at this moment that Lois vowed that, through hell or high water, she would get both herself and Clark back home.

In the silence that followed Lois' comment, Clark finally realized that he was lying on the couch completely naked, with Lois sitting right in front of him. He anxiously sat up and reached for a blanket by his feet, which he pulled over his lower half and clutched to his chest. But when Clark strated seeing stars, he guessed that he shouln't have sat up so quickly, and fell back on the sofa.

Lois laughed at Clark's modesty. "Always the good little boy scout, eh Clark? Don't worry, I'm going upstairs anyway. You and Clark Junior need your alone time."

* * *

Lucy made the trip back from the storm cellar last as long as she could. She knew exactly what Lois had just seen, and didn't want to cause an awkward moment by appearing in the living room as Lois bandaged up a fully-healed Clark. She had deposited the kryptonite in the cellar, which over the years had become the Kent family hiding place, housing objects such as Clark's spaceship and it's key. Nobody had come near the cellar while those things rested there, so she assumed that the kryptonite would be safe there as well. 

Lois was freaking out about Clark, which Lucy understood well. It had been a long time since she herself learned Clark's secret, but although the circumstances when she had learned it were slightly different, and in a way more shocking, she understood Lois' confusion.

When Lucy had first found out about Clark, it was well after college. Clark started floating on their 3rd date, and the rest exploded from there. But Lois and Clark, from the second they stepped into the future, began changing the course of history. It was because of this fact that Lucy didn't know that Clark would heal so quickly, nor that Lois would have been there to witness it. If she had, she would have sent Lois to store the kryptonite, so she could avoid discovering his secret. It was also because of this that Lucy didn't know what would happen to Lois and Clark in their respective futures. The gap between Lucy's history and Lois' was like a void in her mind--Lois was paving a new path for herself, and Lucy was as blind to Lois' future as Lois was herself.

Lucy's mind shifted back to cutting Clark open. Before she had even proposed the idea to Lois, she wondered whether or not Clark was worth saving. The thought now seemed shameful to her. Even though he would grow up to kill so many people, right now, he was just a boy. He had done nothing wrong, and Lucy knew that she couldn't let him die, at least not yet. She wanted to find another way of changing the future...that could possibly save Clark's life, and the lives of all mankind.

But the skeptic in her reminded her to keep a close eye on Clark. He was like a bomb waiting to explode, and she had to be prepared to stop him at any time...

_Even if it means killing him...

* * *

_

Lois had bolted straight to the bathroom after she left Clark, and hopped into the shower. She turned the water on full blast, and rinsed the dirt off her body. She felt completely rejuvinated, as though her worries and fears dripped off her body with the grime. But one thing kept pressing at her mind, not allowing her to relax completely. 

Clark's recovery.

Lois had never seen anything like that. She was a pretty fast healer herself, but Clark's recovery was _amazing_. All sorts of explanations flooded through her mind, all of them seeming somewhat absurd, and ranging from bad lighting in the room to meteor abilities. Not that she actually _believed_ that people could be affected by meteor rocks--that was Chloe's theory--though it did seem to explain everything. But Lois wasn't satisfied with this conclusion--she couldn't possibly believe that Clark was a meteor freak. He wasn't homocidal or dangerous or any of the characteristics of Smallville's superpowered residents.

Lois decided that she wouldn't press Clark for details. If Clark hadn't told her about this super-fast-healing-thing that he had, he must have had his reasons, even though she couldn't see what the big deal was...you couldn't exactly _kill_ anyone by being a fast healer.

No, she would wait for Clark to tell her himself, when _he_ was ready. Although she really hoped that it would be soon.


	11. Speak Up!

OH THE JOY! Another chapter DONE...

A/Nthe chapter after this one, in which I know what's gonna happen already, is gonna be a lot better, but we need fillers. You know what they say, it may be easier to go from directly from point A to point B , but fillers help make the trip a lot more fun...

Go Clois! A little bit, but it's getting a bit more serious...can you say hand-holding? We're moving on up in the world!

A bit shorter than past chapters, forgive me. But still pretty damn long by my standards...

ENJOY!

**Chapter 11: Speaking Up**

It was their second full day in 2056.

Clark woke up rather early, about 5:30 or so, a time that he was well accustomed to rising at from his years of living on a farm. But he was far from his usual bright-eyed self as he poured himself bowl of cereal in Lucy's kitchen. Clark was happy to find that the wound on his shoulder had healed completely, but the residual effects of the kryptonite poisoning left his body very weak. His head ached, his limbs felt like they were filled with led, and even his abilities were pretty much gone. It would take a few days before the kryptonite that was still in his body ran out of his system and he would be back to normal. Until then, he would have rely on asprin and bedrest to soothe his aching bones.

Clark took a bite of his breakfast, and his stomach turned. The last thing he wanted to do right now was eat, because everything that touched his tounge seemed tasteless, and he was far too nauseous to force the food down. But Clark was terribly thirsty, and he sipped the milk from the side of the bowl, wearing a disgusted look on his face as the liquid slithered down his throat. Unable to drink any more, he pushed the bowl away.

"Geez, Smallvile, you left the best part," came a voice from the hallway. The sound peirced his sensitive ears like nails, and his migrane escalated to an intolerable level, causing him to bury his head in his hands, covering his ears. When he looked up, he saw Lois, taking a seat on the other side of the table and reaching for the cereal. She was up uncharacteristically early, but her face was bright, and she was extremely energized.

"Good morning sunshine! Come on, Clarkie, chin up! You can brood on your own time," Lois said, joking. Clark stared up at her, his eyes filled with pain, and she immediately regretted her words. She realized that now was not the time to play with Clark's emotions.

"Are you ok, Clark?" She asked, genuinely concerned. _What am I saying...of course he's not! Sure, his shoulder's fine, but he's still an emotional wreck..._

"I guess I've been better..." Clark sighed, his voice trailing off to a whisper. An awkward silence passed between the two. Lois' heart went out to him...if she was in Clark's shoes, she'd have jumped off a building already. Lois knew that Clark was trying to shut her out, like he usually did, keeping all of his emotions bottled up inside of him until he'd explode. She desperately wanted Clark to say something--for his sake. _Who am I kidding, why would he bother opening up to me?...I've never exactly given him a reason too...I've always been bitchy to him...and it's fun sometimes, I'll admit it! ...Still, I want Clark to know that I want to help him...I want him to know that I'm there for him if he needs me...that I care about him too much to let him go this alone..._

"You gonna finish this?" Lois said, pointing her spoon at the half-eaten cereal. Lois couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment, and, realizing that Clark wasn't going to start talking on his own, she'd come to the conclusion that it was her job to get Clark to speak up.

Clark grunted in reply, a gesture that Lois understood to mean that Clark didn't give a damn whether she took the cereal or not. His indifference scared her...he was shutting her out again. _I can't let him do this to himself!_

"Do you wanna talk about what happened?" Lois asked. She tried to channel the Dr. Phil within, but had ended up with more of a bad guidance counseler-esque attempt at talking to Clark. Predicteably, Clark's reply was a meaningless grunt. Lois' heart sank, and she gave up on Clark for now. She rose from the table and began to walk away.

"No...Lois...come back." Clark said, his voice at a slight whisper. Lois heard him, and sat herself back on her chair, beckoning Clark to speak.

"I just want to go home, Lois. I can't do this anymore. Yesterday was the worst day of my life..."

_I hope it was, Clark..._ Lois thought.

"I was pretty suprised that you and Lucy came back for me..." Clark commented. Clark had been shocked when he'd seen them in his cell. He figured that Lucy would want him dead after what he did to her, and guessed Lois would also hate his guts when she found out about Kal-El the dictator.

"Of course we came back, Clark." Lois replied. "Lucy might have been pretty mad at you yesteday, but neither of us wanted you to _die_. Your my friend, Clark, and I'd never want anything bad to happen to you."

"Unfortunately something bad did happen to me...and I think the worst it yet to come..."

Lois shivered at the memory of Clark, locked up in that horrible palace, being poisoned to death. "Clark, I'm gonna promise you one thing. I refuse to let the future play itself out this way. As long as I'm alive, you will never become a dictator. I won't let it happen." Lois spoke with a resolution that showed Clark that she meant her words. Clark only feared that Lois lacked the power to keep her word

"So I'm guessing Lucy told you everything?" Clark asked. He wanted to size up what Lois knew--especially if she knew that he wasn't human (in which case, some serious damage control would probably be needed.)

"If by everything you mean Lucy being an older version of me and you being a homicidal dictator, then yes. She did." Lois answered. She managed to get around telling Clark that she'd seen his shoulder heal itself in seconds flat, because _technically_ Lucy didn't tell her about that. Lois still hoped that Clark would fess up on his own.

"Yeah, that's everything," Clark lied. _It so isn't..._ Lois thought.

"How's your shoulder?" Lois inquired. _Nobody said I couldn't try to force it out of him..._

"A little better. My whole body aches, though."

_Bullshit_ "Oh, I'm glad...Good thing you're a fast healer, right Smallville?"

Clark stammered. "Uh...right. You know what? I think I'm gonna go lay down for a little while. I need some rest."

"Ok," Lois said, realizing that she was lucky to have gotten Clark to say as much as he did. "I'm gonna crash on the sofa and watch some TV. Goodnight, Clark"

* * *

"See ya..." and he was gone. Lois collapsed on the sofa, and reached for the TV remote lying on the coffee table. Clark had begun to open up a little bit, and that made her feel a lot better. _But why couldn't he just tell me the truth about his healing? I don't understand why he's scared of telling me, it's not really a big deal..._

Lois pressed the power button on the remote, and the TV buzzed to life. She flipped through dozens and dozens of channels, broadcasting everything from kid's programming to cable news. Lois stopped on one of the news channels to get a glimpse of what was going on in the world, and maybe find out a little more information about what life was like in this future. A 30-something blonde woman was hosting the program, talking in a high, enthusiastic voice to her co-anchor, a gray haired man who looked like he wanted to choke the life out of the perky reporter. They were discussing some sort of zero-gravity soccer tournament that was to take place later in the afternoon. Lois was about to change the channel, when the male anchor took over the discussion. "And, in recent headlines, Emperor Kal-El made a rare appearance for the tourists visiting the Imperial Palace yesterday at about 3:15 PM." A video stream flashed on the screen, showing Lucy, Lois, and Clark walking out of the elevator into the palace lobby, as they had done a day before. The photographer had managed to alter the footage, moving Clark's body so it looked like he was shaking hands with visitors and waving at the cameras. Lois was impressed with the skill with which the footage had been doctored, but this was pushed to the back of her mind, as she was astounded at the audacity of the reporters to broadcast the false story.

"That's not what happened! How the heck could they get away with that..."

The news anchor continued, "...reminding us yet again how gracious and kind our leader is. What a classy move! Never in our history has a leader been so civil to it's people as Kal-El has proven to be..."

"...Propoganda! This isn't reporting, it's a three-ring circus! They should be ashamed..."

"...and he continues to prove it to us again and again. It is rumored that the young woman seen next to Kal-El, whose name is unknown at this point, is a poor student from Witchita, whose service to the government and patriotism have led Kal-El to grant her an internship in the Department of Social Betterment and a scholarship to the university of her choice..."

"...WHAT! How DARE they? I don't remember giving them permission to use my picture! What the hell kind of story is THAT! Poor student...my ASS! Why don't you give us the real news, Mr. Anchor? Like how Kal-El _tortures_ and _murders_ and _destroys_! How 'bout what he did to Clark, huh? Where's that in your piece of--"

"LOIS!" A voice called from the stairwell. It was Lucy, dressed in a floral nightgown and standing on the bottom step, hands on her hips. "What the heck is going on down here?"

Lois stopped her shouting. "Have you seen this! I can't believe the reporting on this station! They used my picture, showed Clark kissing babies--"

"Surprise, surprise! Welcome to Fascism 101, my name is Professor Lane, and I'll be your instructor today!"

"Why are they allowed to do this?" Lois asked.

Lucy shrugged. "It's called propoganda, hon. That's what this dictatorship does best." Lucy looked at the TV, catching a brief glimpse of what Lois was exactly complaining about. "They couldn't use the real story--that Kal tortured Clark and we were breaking out of the palace...it would make the government look bad. So they make something up that's more _flattering_."

Lois understood. When the government controls everything, the news is the first thing they try to control. Anything that made the government look bad was scrapped. But Lois was still suprised to the level the media took their agenda with their article on 'Kal-El's appearance.'

"Did I wake you up?" Lois asked, starting to feel bad.

"Yeah, kind of. No hard feelings, I have some grocery shopping to do anyway. Want anything from the store?"

"Nahh, I'm good," Lois replied. "I'm gonna go back to bed anyway...that news broadcast tired me out."

"OK," Lucy replied. "Sweet Dreams."

* * *

When Clark finally woke up, it was almost noon. Lois was sound asleep next to him, tired out from watching the news. Clark rose as quietly as he could, trying not to disturb her, and left the room. He felt a lot better, but he was still very weak. He descended the stairs, and was met with Lucy's smiling face.

"Good to see you up, Clark. You gave us quite a scare yesterday."

"Thanks...I'm still a little out of it though. How did you figure out what was wrong with me, anyway?" Clark asked. He'd passed out before he could say what was wrong, and didn't remember anything after that.

"The gaping hole in your shoulder kind of gave it away...I just can't believe Kal would use a _torture_ device on you. What did you do to piss him off?"

"I don't know," Clark answered. "He said something about 'training' me...that he was the one who brought me here. Next thing I know I'm waking up in a prison cell."

"_Training?_ I guess that sounds like something he'd do...did he say anything else?" Lucy asked.

"No..."

Lucy noticed the sadness in Clark's voice, and decided to end their current topic of discussion. "Come on. I have some breakfast in the kitchen."

Clark finished his entire plate. His appetite was back in full force, much to his--and Lucy's--delight. She didn't know exactly how long it would take for the kryptonite to wear off, but at the rate he was healing, it might only take a day or so for him to recover.

"You should thank your lucky stars that I didn't tell Lois your secret," Lucy said suddenly. Clark looked up at her, not quite knowing what to say. "Then again, maybe I should have. Your not exactly planning on telling her any time soon, aren't you?"

"Lucy, you know as well as anyone the kind of danger that comes with knowing my secret. I don't want to hurt Lois." Clark shot back.

"Give me a break, Clark, don't you think I know that? But she's gonna find out, anyway, whether you tell her or not! It's only a matter of time before she hears from somebody that Emperor Kal-El is actually an alien!"

"She won't find out...I can't let her. Lois means way too much to me for me to put her in that kind of danger."

"Don't you think it's up to her to make that decision? Lois already knows something's up, Clark! And your gonna hurt her a lot more if you leave her in the dark, or worse, if somebody _else_ tells her!"

"What do you mean, 'she knows something's up'?"

"_Good thing your a fast healer, right Smallville?_ Does that ring any bells? I'm not saying anything else on the subject--this is something you have to figure out on your own. Just remember that there's a beautiful young woman sleeping upstairs who just wants you to _let her in_, Clark..."

And without another word, Lucy left the room, leaving a befuddled Clark in her wake.

* * *

Lois woke up to the sound of Clark opening the door to her bedroom.

"Do you mind? I was sleeping, Smallville, what do you want?" Lois grumbled. She was cranky, as she often when she first woke up. Clark stared at her like a child who's just stolen a cookie before dinner, only to find that his mother was watching him the whole time.

"Sorry, Lois. I just wanted to check up on you--"

"Thanks, Clark, but I'm obviously fine, aside from the fact that I'm _awake_ now. Goodnight," Lois finished, shoving her face into her pillow. But when she sensed that Clark wasn't leaving the room, she sat back up. "What is it now, Clark?"

"I dunno...do you want to watch a movie?" Clark asked.

"A movie. You barged into my room and woke me up so we could watch a _movie_?"

"Well...yeah. Lucy's gone and all, and I figured I could use the company."

Under normal circumstances, Lois would have thrown a pillow at Clark's face and called him some rather unkind names while kicking him out of the room. But she looked at Clark, who was wearing a 'sad puppy dog' face, pout and all, and Lois knew that he really wanted her to keep him company.

And Clark did want her company--Lois was the last remaining piece of his home, and he was beginning to realize how much he really _needed_ her. Clark was lonely in this new world, and he needed her friendship now more than anything.

"Ok, Clark. What's playing?"

Clark beamed. "Lucy has pay per view, so we can pick any movie we want."

Lois hopped out of bed. She needed the mindless entertainment of a movie to ease her troubled mind. But above all, she wanted to have a normal afternoon with Clark. It had been a long time since they'd hung out together, since Clark had started dating Lori again. She hated to admit it, but she liked being with that bumbling farmboy...but she couldn't let him know that. It would ruin the fun.

It turned out that the only movies on pay per view were extremely new releases (which was expected), so they picked a promising looking vampire movie, and, armed with sodas and popcorn, sat back and enjoyed the show. At first, Clark and Lois complained, threw popcorn at each other, called each other names, etcetera. This was usual behavior by them, a normality that was well recepted by both Clark and Lois as a change from the strange world around them. But as the movie wore on, they calmed down, and edged closer and closeron the sofa. seeking comfort in each other's familiarity.

By the end of the movie, though neither of them realized it, their hands were intertwined, dangling gently over the empty popcorn bowl.


	12. Kiss

One more update before the weekend (btw: I'm going to quebec on vacation i'll be back between wednesday and friday.)

I rewrote this chapter (twice), and it sounds a little better. The scene in particular I was having trouble with, the part with Lois and Clark's thoughts, was hard to write for some reason...which is weird, considering that I usually breeze through POV passages. This is the part that I'm the most wary of, but it's important to the flow of the chapter and there was no way I could get rid of it entirely. So I did my best with it, and that's all I can promise.

It's a rather short chapter. Making it longer would have been awkward for you, the reader, to make sense of. Or maybe I'm just lazy...

There were issues with the document loader, and I couldn't get the divider up. I just spaced the seperate sections a lot.

Anyways, warnings for the chapter. Clois, a bathtowel, and a confession. What does it all mean? And why does Kal want to train Clark? After all, things worked out fine the first time, right?

But for now, the 12th installment of Wormhole

**Chapter 12: Kiss**

Kal-El sat alone in his office, the windows shut tight and the lights completely extinguished, so as to shut out any distractions from his pensive mind. He cradled his head in his hands, his entire body absorbed in his memories. Clark's appearance, and consequently his alteration of the future, allowed for new memories to pop up in Kal's head every once in a while, some of which were rather disturbing, while others were actually quite pleasant. For example: Getting his shoulder cut open? Unpleasant. Being with Lois...extremely pleasant. Although Kal questioned the normality of fantasizing to your younger-self's gorgeous best friend, he was having far too much fun with it to stop. He could feel Lois' body next to his own, the fleeting touch of his true love reminding him of the one thing that seemed to elude him, the woman that he desired the most.

_It doesn't have to be this way...I don't have to be alone forever..._But Kal-El remembered that his main priority would have to be convincing Clark to accept his training, to mold him so that he could become a ruler, but without the hinderance of the scar...the scar that could incapacitate him for days at a time, bringing a pain that made Kal yearn for death to claim him already, not tarry around, slowly stealing his life away.

It had been 40 years since Kal's transformation, but the memory was still fresh in his mind. It was so unexpected that he'd had no time to react, to fight off the assailant that struck him from behind, pressing the unusual dagger the he wielded into his back. Kal hadn't even seen his face...he'd passed out immediately after...but when he woke up, everything was changed. Things were so much clearer, his thoughts were focused, but he still faced a challenge that was more than he could ever imagine. The dagger had left a hole in his lower back, gaping and bloody, that never healed. Sure, he was still as powerful as ever (how else could he have taken over the earth?) But it throbbed all the time, which Kal had fast gotten used to, but every once in a while, the pain would esclate to piercing levels. Kal-El was often locked in his room for days, coping with the episodes that had only gotten worse and more frequent as he aged. This is why he needed Clark so badly. His fall was fast approaching, the life was draining from him with each passing day. He needed to transform Clark painlessly. It was the only way to ensure that his reign would never end.

But could Kal accomplish this without alienating the woman he loved? He wanted Clark to embrace his destiny, but he also wanted Lois to love him. _Who am I kidding, of course I can...I can do anything..._However, this was much easier said than done. Kal-El had almost forgotten how stubborn he was as a young man, blindly concerned for the 'greater good' and always putting others before himself. The two men's strong personalities, going head to head, was a recipe for disaster, and Kal knew this well. It would only be so long before the fight turned violent.

_But one of us has to give eventually...and it sure as hell isn't going to be me..._

Kal's mind suddenly registered a new memory popping into his brain. Clark and Lois were watching what could be easily considered the universe's corniest vampire movie, when, out of the blue, they began holding hands. Kal couldn't help but smile, and was even more elated when the hand holding escalated to Clark putting his arm over Lois' shoulder.

Wanting to make sure that his experience went uninterrupted, he dialed his personal secretary on his desk phone. "Janet, cancel all my meetings for today, and make sure that I have absolutely no disturbances," he ordered, disconecting the phone and refocusing himself on his new memory.

_Lois delicately wrapped her body around Clark's, her eyes and ears closed to everything but the beautiful man sitting in front of her. His body felt warm and welcoming, enticing Lois to move closer to him, and his eyes beckoning her to stay with him...forever. Clark embraced her closely, feeling her smooth ivory skin brush against his arms and chest, every breath she took rushing past his neck in a slight breeze. Their bodies were perfectly in tune with as they lay, isolated from the nightmarish world around them. For now, there was no future, no pain, no suffering, only the here-and-now, only pure and innocent love. _

And when their lips touched, it was like a symphony erupting into a full crescendo, every last instrument pulsing back and forth as the notes grew and twisted together into a beautiful, yet fleeting, moment of perfection.

And as quickly as it happened, the kiss was over. Kal-El's heart was pulsing rapidly, his body absorbed in the passion that he had managed to draw from the kiss, like a fire that he never wanted to go out...

And the memory faded to black...

Clark and Lois broke from the kiss, both trying to get a grip on what had just happened. The kiss had been completely out of the blue, and was more than either Lois or Clark were comfortable with. Not another word was spoken between the two as they both departed from the couch and went their seperate ways. It was an unusual reaction, considering the intimacy of what had just occured, but neither of them quite knew what to make of it. Clark walked upstairs and locked himself in his room, leaving Lois to clean up the mess they had made during the movie.

_I could kill that farmboy..._ Lois thought, once she regained her cognizance which Clark's kiss had temporarily ripped from her. She grabbed the empty soda cans strewn around the living room, trying to tidy up. _I'm not his maid! And who the hell does he think he is, kissing me like that! And just walking away afterwards? Jeez, I know I'm not Lori but I'm not that bad a kisser..._

Suddenly, Lois was frantic. _What if he didn't like it? But then why the hell did he kiss me in the first place! Or did I kiss him...I don't know, it all happened so fast, I don't even know what came over me...but let's just pretend that I was the one who kissed him first. Does that mean that I like Clark?...Whoa, please tell me I didn't just think that...I'm gonna have to wash my mouth out with soap later for that comment. But seriously, if I were, by some strange turn of events, starting to like Smallville, and this kiss actually meant something...why did he walk away from me? Is he afraid? Did he suddenly realize that he doesn't like me at all? _

Whoa, snap out of it, Lane. Don't get all crazy just because of one stupid guy...with a really nice body...but still stupid nonetheless! Clark is just a lazy hick farmboy! Who in their right mind would possibly have a crush on him?...

"I would."

An hour after the kiss, Clark was in the shower, pondering the events that had transpired between him and Lois. He felt bad about walking away, but it was too much for his brain to process at the moment.

_I can't believe this is happening... _

I can't fall for Lois! Not now...not when I have a girlfriend waiting for me at home...Remember Lori? The girl who you've been dating for a year? What would she think of all this! ...I feel like I took advantage of Lois by kissing her...because we're stranded here all alone and we're both lonely...it wasn't fair to her...But why did I kiss her? Do I love her? No, not love...but I do care about her a lot...

OK, let's assume for a minute that I am falling for Lois. Rewind...FALLING for LOIS? I think that kryptonite injection went to my head...But Lucy did say that we got married...this is so creepy to think about...so does that mean that I'm supposed to love Lois?

Destiny sucks. But I've changed it before, so I can change it again. But do I want to change it? Lois IS pretty after all, I'm not blind. But she's so stubborn and cocky that I can't even deal with her half the time! She doesn't take from anybody...she knows exactly what she wants and she goes for it...she's kind and intelligent and down to earth and absolutely...amazing

Why would Lois possibly like me anyway? I'm just a farm boy from the middle of nowhere...with superpowers, but that's not the point. She needs somebody who'll make something of his life, who'll be able to give her everything she ever wanted. What can I possibly give her? A barn and some chickens...that's no life for a girl like her. She deserves so much more than me...

But what if she does like me? She kissed me back...I think...but would I be able to pursue a relationship with her? OK, Kent, don't even think about that. Focus on getting out of here and getting back home to your girlfriend...what's her name again?

"This wasn't supposed to happen!"

He stepped out of the shower, wrapping a fluffy white towel around his waist so he wouldn't drench Lucy's pristine bathroom. His hands brushed over his shoulder, and he shuddered. The scar was gone, but the painful memory still caused him to cringe at the spot. He pulled his hand away, refusing to think about such horrific things right now. He had enough on his plate as it was, without dwelling on the past.

Meanwhile, Lois was still downstairs, trying to calm herself down. The effect that Clark's kiss had had on her was, for lack of a better word, scary. She wasn't used to being confused and anxious and happy and angry all at once...the thought that she and Clark had kissed echoed in her head, that one glorious moment replaying itself over and over. And then there was Clark, who seemed like he couldn't have gotten away from her fast enough, even though he had kissed her first. Lois couldn't wrap her brain around his reaction...it was strange, even for Clark.

_That's it...I can't just sit here moping!_

And she immediately rushed up the stairs, preparing himself to give Clark a piece of her mind.

Reaching his bedroom door, she put her hand on the doorknob, and pushed the door open. "Clark, you need to--"

Lois froze mid-sentence. Clark was standing away from her, clothed in only a towel. But, even more shocking was his perfectly healed shoulder, glistening with the drops of water that trickled across his skin, where blood and scars should have been instead. Clark turned around and, seeing Lois, instinctively pulled the towel up towards his shoulder in a futile attempt to hide it. But she had been standing there for a few seconds, long enough for her to have seen what Clark was trying to hide.

An explanation was forming on the tip of Clark's tounge, but it never left his lips. Because when he looked into the eyes of Lois Lane, he saw, not fear, not confusion, but sadness. Sadness because, once again, Clark was shutting her out. Sadness because Clark didn't trust her.

"Lois, I--" Clark began, but Lois would not hear it. She was already halfway out the door.

And, even though Clark's brain told him to think of an excuse, to let her go and blame what she saw on the lighting or a trick of the eyes, his heart blindly led him to Lois' side, slowly removing the towel from his shoulder and revealing it to her in full view.

"Lois," Clark whispered, his head facing the floor. "I can't hide from you anymore. Not with this...not with everything that's happened. I need your help, Lois, and you can't give it to me unless I let you in. Maybe that's selfish...I don't know." Clark stared into her eyes. "But you don't deserve to be left in the dark, either. There's so much that you need to know."


	13. Revelations, Part I

It's short, it was only written just now, and it's chock full of Clois. But I needed to get the reveal over with. Just to move on with the story. (PS. The title is so cliche I wanna puke. )

Thanks to all my reviewers. You're my incentive!

So, the next installment of Wormhole

**Chapter (lucky number) 13: Revelations**

_"Lois," Clark whispered, his head facing the floor. "I can't hide from you anymore. Not with this...not with everything that's happened. I need your help, Lois, and you can't give it to me unless I let you in. Maybe that's selfish...I don't know." Clark stared into her eyes. "But you don't deserve to be left in the dark, either. There's so much that you need to know."_

It took Lois a few moments to return back to the land of the conscious after Clark's unexpected declaration. The breath she was holding was causing her lungs to burn, and she exhaled slowly to calm her tensed body and racing mind down. And, while Clark appeared to be absolutely petrified, Lois was surprisingly collected and, dare she say it, happy. Clark trusted her. She didn't respond to Clark with words, but shot him a supportive smile that did all the talking for her.

Clark picked up on her motion, and was actually a little bit thrown off. A smile was a strange response to such a serious revelation. _Does she know something I don't?_ But this passing thought was replaced a torrent of other emotions. _Will she accept me? What if I scare her away? How do you tell somebody that you're an super-powered alien, anyway?_

"Clark, it's ok. You can tell me anything." Lois said, her voice soft and tender, as though she had read Clark's mind and was trying to reassure him that everything would be ok.

"This is...kind of a big deal, Lois. Are you sure you want to know?" Clark replied. He was beginning to have second thoughts about revealing himself. His organs felt like they were doing back flips and his heart was beating straight through his chest. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..._

"Clark, have you ever killed anybody?" Lois said out of the blue. She didn't want to have to force the secret out of him, but she wanted to support him as much as she could as he told her of his own accord

"Uh...no?"

"Have you ever murdered, raped, kidnapped, tortured, whatever?"

"No, Lois, of course not." Clark said, a little shocked. "But why--"

"Well then it's obviously not that bad a secret, is it? You don't have to be afraid of me. Anything you have to say to me, I'll understand. I'll help you in any way I can. But you have to trust me a little bit, too. So spill, Farmboy."

"But Lois, it could be dangerous for you to know..."

"As dangerous as being on your future-dictator-self's hit list? Uh, I think not. And it's my choice to make, don't you think? It's my life, Clark, and I've decided that I'm willing to face whatever 'danger' you think could happen to me! You're my best friend, Smallville. But I can't help you unless you tell me what's going on!"

"I know, Lois." Clark sighed, looking down at the floor and fidgeting slightly. _Well, here goes nothing..._

"I'm an alien." Clark muttered, a hint of remorse in his voice. His eyes never left the hardwood. He couldn't bring himself face Lois. Not yet.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Lois said, barely letting Clark finish his statement. Then his words dawned on her. "Wait...what?"

Clark looked up at met Lois' eyes. "I'm kind of, sort of an alien..."

Lois raised her eyebrows, and her whole body went stiff. _Didn't see that coming..._

"You're kind of sort of an _alien_" She said, half joking, half shocked. She didn't know whether to believe Clark or not. Was he playing a prank on her? Would Ashton Kutcher suddenly pop out of the closet with the whole "Punk'd" crew in tow, with Clark shouting "Gotcha!" and teasing her for years to come?

But she looked into Clark's eyes, and saw nothing but genuine sadness and fear. It took her aback--it was seldom that one ever saw Clark afraid, and on the rare occasion that he let it show through, it was usually because of something _really_ serious. Clark was telling the truth, Lois was sure of it. And she was OK with it.

"I'm still the same person, Lois. I would never do anything to hurt you" Clark replied. His eyes were back on the floor, as though his sudden burst of confidence had been extinguished. But Lois wasn't scared or hurt or angry.

_Time for some serious damage control,_ she thought. So Lois lifted Clark's chin with her index finger until they were face to face once more.

And she smiled. Smiled like she had never smiled before. Smiled to show Clark that she still thought of him not as an alien, or a monster, but as her friend, her Smallville. And Clark began to smile weakly as well.

"So you're ok with this?" he asked, hardly believing his luck. It wasn't often that someone accepted their best friend being an alien so well. _Come to think of it, it's not very often that someone actually IS an alien...but that's what makes Lois, Lois. Only she could be completely unfazed by all this...she really is amazing, isn't she?_

Lois didn't answer him. Instead she kissed him, completely out of the blue, straight on the lips. The kiss was quick, but passionate nonetheless.

"Does that answer your question?" Lois replied confidently, a playful smile forming on her lips. Clark's eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open a little, leading Lois to pry it closed with her finger, laughing all the while.

"So what can you do? I mean, I've already seen your shoulder sew itself up in, what, a few seconds? I have this nagging feeling that there's more behind this farm boy exterior than meets the eye, isn't there, ET?"

"Well, if you promise never to call me ET ever again, maybe I'll show you," Clark replied teasingly.

"Deal."

Clark had never been so happy in his life. He grinned a million dollar trademark Kent smile as he lifted Lois into his arms, preparing to speed off.

"Hold on tight. This is gonna be a hell of a ride."


	14. Revelations, Part II

Thanks to the musical stylings of "Venice Queen" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, my musical muse for this particular installment... that I played 44 times straight...I've finished the update! (hey, it's less depressing than my last song that I used writing previous chapters! This Is the Place by RHCP, my muse for getting all depressed. Or the Needle and the Damage Done by neil young, for which I blame my father b/c I hate neil young. And now I'm rambling.)

Warning: I come in with happiness, and leave in tears. Cryptic? You'll see, my friends, you'll see.

Thanks to all my reviewers!

**Chapter 14: Revelations, Part II**

Clark ran from the Kent farm at such speeds that passerby could only feel a light rush of wind whisk past their ears. Clark had the foresight to travel at slightly lower speeds, remembering that he was holding Lois in his arms. She, unlike Clark, was not invincible, and the friction produced at his top speeds was enough to kill her.

Clark couldn't help but smile; Lois had taken everything surprisingly well, considering the gravity of what he had told her. And there was still so much more to come.

Clark stopped short, nearly throwing Lois off in the process. "We're here," he said triumphantly. The had arrived at Crater Lake, which was all but deserted now since most people were at work or school. Clark knew this was an ideal location to showcase his abilities without being seen by anybody. They were completely alone.

"You wanted to know what else I can do, well, you're about to get your answer."

Lois was barely listening as she furiously tried to tame her windswept hair. "That was freakin awesome Smallville! Holy--how on earth did you do that?"

"My physiology is different from a human's. In the presence of a yellow sun, my body acts like a solar battery and supercharges my senses, speed, strength, everything." Clark said monotonously. He'd heard Jor-El repeat that statement several times over the course of his training, and it had been unwillingly drilled into his subconcious.

"Oh. Cool. But, uh, can we end the science lesson and get on to some full on superboy ass-kicking?" Lois replied, anxious to see more.

"Superboy?"

"Sorry, I meant Super_farm_boy. Go on, show me your stuff!"

Clark smiled, and sped off. He returned a moment later with an arm full of supplies, and within a second a complete picnic was set up in front of Lois' eyes, food and all. She found the gesture sweet, but was still waiting for a demonstration from Clark.

"Clark, this is beautiful and all, but weren't you gonna show me your stuff?" She asked. Clark rolled his eyes and sat down, Lois following.

Clark pulled to red candles out of a picnic basket and set them on the grass. "Watch," he said, simply. Lois stared intently at the candles, and jumped when they ignited out of thin air.

"Was that you?" She asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"But how did you--"

"Heat vision. Got it in high school. It gave me...quite a few problems when it was developing." Clark answered hesitantly. _Please god let her not ask why...please please please!_

"Oooh, do tell, Smallville," Lois said

_And she asks!...damn damn damn_. "It's no big deal really. You wouldn't want to hear about that." Clark said, trying to control the bright red flush forming on his cheeks

"I get the feeling that it _is_ a big deal. You wouldn't be so embarrassed if it wasn't."

"I'm not embarrassed!" Clark shot back.

"You so are. Go on, tell me, don't be shy."

"No!"

"Say it 'cause I won't stop bothering you till you do!"

"It was in high school."

"That's it, baby steps..."

"It happened when I thought about s-sex."

Lois' mouth dropped open. Clark nervously started fiddling with his hair. Suddenly, Lois started laughing until tears came out of her eyes. She rolled on the picnic blanket, cracking up so hard that she couldn't breathe. Clark's face rouged even brighter. "It's not funny!" He protested.

Lois began coughing loudly in an attempt to stifle her humor-induced sobs. "What, were you watching a porno and you set the sheets on fire!" She chuckled, succumbing to the laughter once again.

"NO! It was in school and there was this pretty teacher showing us a sex-ed film, and I kind of set the movie screen on fire just by staring at it. Later after that I set the Talon on fire, got arrested for arson, broke out and landed my teacher in prison."

Lois stopped laughing for a second. Unfortunately for Clark, a second was all it lasted. "Oh my gosh...I can't believe you...so what, every time you get turned on you shoot flames out of your eyes? Wow I have so much respect for Lori now...did you ever set her on fire while you were doing it?"

"LOIS!"

"Fine, fine I'll butt out." Lois said, stifling a giggle. "So, what else do you got?" She asked as she reached for a sandwich on the platter set in front of her.

Clark smiled. Now it was Lois' turn to be embarrassed. "You're wearing pink underwear."

"What?"

"You heard me. " He replied with a mischevous grin.

Lois flushed bright red. "How the hell do you--"

"X-ray vision" Clark replied simply.

Lois rolled her eyes, but still attempted to cover her chest with her hands. "You are the luckiest man in the world. I bet you spend half your day just looking at chicks on the street."

"No!" Clark stammered defensively. "I--I would never--"

"Save it, Kent. I don't wanna know. So, anything else I should know about?"

Clark proceeded to pull a crowbar out of the picnic bag, leading Lois to make a snide allusion to Mary Poppins, which Clark chose to ignore. Right before her eyes, he bent and twisted the crowbar into a knot, as though it was a flimsy piece of yarn. Lois' mouth fell open, but she quickly shut it and let the skeptic within take over. "No big deal...that thing's probably made of aluminum foil. Nice try, Smallville."

Clark tossed the crowbar to her. "Think it's so easy? You try." And Lois did try. She tried until her hands began to throb. Annoyed, she proceeded to fling the tool into the lake, disturbing the ducks that were swimming and sending ripples through the otherwise placid lake.

"Hey! That was a good crowbar!" Clark protested. Lois stuck her tongue out at him.

"So how much do you bench?" She inquired.

Clark thought for a minute. "How much does a ballistic missile weigh?"

"I dunno, maybe--wait, did you say a _missile_"

"It's a really long story..."

"And one that I'm sure I'd love to hear, after you finish showing me your stuff!"

"What makes you thin there's any more stuff to show? What if that's all I got?" Clark teased.

"Because you have that glint in your eye. You only get it when you've just done the "deed" with your girlfriend or you're hiding something cool. There's something else isn't there?"

Clark froze at the "deed" comment. _What is her obsession with me and Lori anyway? This is the fifth time today she's mentioned our relationship...It's not like she's jealous or something...Could Lois be jealous? Of Lori? Oh my god...Lois is jealous!_ But rather than call Lois on her emotions, he decided continued with his demonstration and let her be.

"Well there's the freeze breath and super hearing, but those are pretty minor. And you already know about the invincible part."

"Minor." Lois rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'cause that's _no big deal_...anyone can do _that_!"

Clark laughed. "I guess that's it, Lois. Well, I did fly a few times, but doesn't really count. Sorry to disappoint."

"Hold up, did you just say that you _flew_?"

"A few times, if you can call it "flying." Jor-El tried to teach me, but--"

"Who-El?"

"_Jor_-El. My biological father. Well, sort of. He's dead, but he still talks to me as some sort of download program. He tried to teach me how to fly, but explained that it's one of those things that you can't just be told about and automatically know how to do. You can learn techniques and things like that, but in the end you kind of have to figure it out on your own."

"Oh. Of course," Lois said, a bit confused at the dead-father part of the explanation. _God these aliens are weird..._

"Can you try? For me?" Lois pleaded, fluttering her eyelashes and pouting her lip. She at least wanted Clark to try...it wasn't everyday you met someone who defied the basic laws of nature, and she was intent on savoring every moment of it.

Clark smiled. "For you. But just this once! I'm not gonna become your personal source of afternoon entertainment, and it kind of hurts when I crash-land."

"I highly doubt that it hurts YOU. Go for it, Smallville."

Clark stood up and moved a distance away. If he did indeed crash, he didn't want to smash Lois in the process. He closed his eyes, trying to block out everything around him. Lois was impressed with his concentration, and didn't take he eyes off of him. Clark was trying his best to will himself upward, using all the energy he had in his body to propel himself into the sky.

A few minutes later, Lois' eyes throbbed from staring. Clark was still deep in concentration, and Lois, figuring that she wouldn't miss too much by blinking, shut her dry eyes for a moment so they would stop throbbing. But when she opened her eyes, she was amazed to see the grass rippling underneath Clark's feet as he levitated a good foot above the ground.

"Clark! You did it!" She cheered. Clark's eyes flew open, and he stared at the ground below him. He looked back at Lois, flashing his million dollar smile, until he lost his bearings and crashed into the hard dirt below him. Lois rushed to his side. "Clark, oh my gosh are you ok?"

Clark looked ticked off as he stood back up and brushed the soil off his pants. "Invincible, remember. Jeez, I didn't even get that high up this time. Sorry, Lo, guess you'll have to wait to see me _really_ fly."

"Sorry? Why the heck are you sorry? You were OFF THE GROUND! That was absolutely amazing! Once you get the whole flying thing down, you're taking me for a ride. I mean, once your done taking Lori around, I guess. Girlfriend's first, right?" Lois sighed, forcing a smile. Clark looked at her strangely, his suspicions all but confirmed. _She really IS jealous..._

"Lois, this is the sixth time you've mentioned Lori today." Clark stated. It wasn't an accusation, so much as a statement of the obvious, but Lois was still taken aback.

"Yeah, so? She's your girlfriend, I'm allowed to poke fun at her every once in a while! I mean, just because you and I kissed _twice_ and everything, I know she's still your girl and I..." She stammered. But mention of the kiss reminded her of their incident on the couch, and how Clark had not exactly fought their make-out. She remembered the pain that Clark had caused her, and couldn't hold it in anymore.

"You know what, Smallville?" Lois began, pushing Clark backwards. "I'm not gonna sit still anymore while you play my emotions like a violin. You kissed me, remember? And just walked away! Didn't even say anything! You just left me! Left me _alone_ and _confused_ and _hurt_! I can't let you _use_ me to get your rocks off just because your girlfriend's happens to be in another time period! I'm not your that you can just play with and toss away when your done with me! So CHOOSE Kent! Because you can't have me AND her at the same time!" Lois shouted at full voice, trying her best to hold back the tears in her eyes, and the lump forming in her throat. It hurt, but she had to give Clark a reality check. "What your doing is wrong. It's just...wrong."

Clark was about to respond, when a hovercar pulled up next to where Lois and Clark were standing. The window rolled down, revealing none other than Lucy herself. She'd remembered Lois' distress, and thought it best to intervene now and let her cool off before she and Clark said things that they didn't mean.

"Get in the car Lois," she ordered. Lois hopped in without hesitation, refusing to even look at Clark. Lucy now focused her attention on Clark.

"I suggest you walk home, Smallville. You've got one hell of an apology ahead of you."

And the car sped off into the sky, disappearing into a speck of black against a pale blue sky, permeated by Lois' sobs that reached Clark's ears from miles away.


	15. Apologies

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an update! It's an update that's surely gonna make you all hate me! I really wrote this quick, cuz I may have to babysit my cousin tonight, and that cut off my writing time. I really wanted this up today. And here it is

Very Clois-y, just not the kind I think you want. Angsty Clois. Clois that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and stuff like that. Blame "The man who sold the world" by nirvana. It was playing on repeat during this writing process.

But Kal makes a comeback! Not really for any reason other than, well, I like Kal. You could skip that whole section and not miss a thing in the story. I just love how underhanded he can be. So read it or don't, it doesn't really matter.

Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter 15: Apologies**

Lois was crying as Lucy drove back towards the Kent farm. While, under normal circumstances, Lois would never dare to show her emotions in such an obvious way, being with Lucy reminded her that she had nothing to be ashamed of--she was with herself, after all. Lucy passed Lois a tissue and patted her softly on the back.

"Why the hell did I attack him like that?" Lois stammered through her sobs. "Everything was going so great, and I just went and blew it."

"It's not your fault, honey. Clark shouldn't have kissed you in the first place." Lucy replied, her voice soft so as not to alarm the fragile girl next to her. Her heart went out to Lois. She had experienced more in the past few days than anybody should go through in a lifetime. And it was bound to get worse.

But Lois wasn't buying Lucy's consolation completely. "It wasn't just his fault. I kissed him today--after he told me everything. I just kissed him out of the blue. And he wouldn't have kissed me the first time if I hadn't come on to him. I'm to blame..."

"No you are not! Clark is the one with the girlfriend, and he should know better! I swear he's already on the track for becoming the piece of sht dictator he is."

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" Lois shouted at full voice. "He is the kindest, most noble man I know, and you have no right to say that about Clark! He hasn't done anything wrong! And just because you don't like him doesn't mean that you can talk about him that way! We were both at fault, we both made a mistake, but that doesn't mean that he's _evil_! Have you ever stopped to think that maybe, just maybe he can be saved? That we can stop him from becoming a dictator? I think so, and I'm gonna try as hard as I can, even if it means facing Kal-El _himself_ to stop this! So SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Now was Lucy's turn to fume. "I don't have any right to say to say that? WHO ELSE HAS MORE REASON THAN I DO TO SAY THAT! He killed my family and friends...OUR family and friends, our children, he destroyed everything we held dear to us! Pardon me if I see him as the bastard that he really is deep down inside! He fooled all of us!" she yelled in response. "Who knows how long he's been planning his takeover? What if the Clark Kent we all know and love is a lie? And we're just pawns in his master plan? Never thought of it that way, did you?"

Lois was crying harder than before, barely able to see through her tear filled eyes, and hearing nothing other than the voice in her head telling her that Lucy was wrong...that Clark could be redeemed, that deep inside he was a good man...she loved him far too much to believe otherwise.

Clark decided against walking home--the threat of being kidnapped again was a risk he was not willing to take. So he ran and camped out in the loft, trying desperately to think of an apology for Lois. _That's irony for you...she accepts me being an alien, but she blows up when I kiss her... _

Why did I have to let my feelings in the way? I always end up hurting the ones I love, no matter how hard I try! I mean, I know that she kissed me, too...but I'm the one in a relationship, and I'm the one who has to be responsible. Even though I really want to kiss her again...

I don't know what's happened, it's like my life's done a complete 180. All of the sudden I'm in a world where I'm evil and I have a thing for Lois...it's not worth denying anymore, I want to be with her. But that would basically count as cheating on Lori, and we've both put so much into that relationship that I'm afraid to back out, because I still care for her a lot. But is it love I have with Lori?

Is it love that I have with _Lois_?

I hate to think what I'm feeling is just because of my...situation. I don't want to pledge my love to Lois, return home and decide that I don't love her at all. That's not fair to her at all. And I don't think there's any way to tell if this is for real...

But what if we never go home? What if I'm trapped here forever, what if...I become Kal-El? Then I lose everything...

If I go with Lois, there's a chance that it's only because we're stuck here together and we'll end up breaking it off in the end. If I don't, I hurt Lois anyway, for a relationship with Lori that I'm unsure about to begin with...

I can't win, can I? This is the love triangle from hell...

At that moment, Clark heard the door to the house open with his super hearing. Lois and Lucy were absolutely silent, even from his distance he could tell that something had gone down between them. He looked into the house, guilty about eavesdropping, but far too curious to back off. He saw Lois run up the stairs--she appeared to be crying. Lucy poured herself a glass of water in the kitchen, muttering something about being far too old for 'this'.

_Great...now everybody hates each other. Well, whatever I decide to do, I better do it quick... _

Kal-El remembered Clark's agony well, and had his own opinion on the subject. Around the time when the thought entered his mind, he was sitting at a meeting with dignitaries from the Martian protectorate in their capital city of D'urhen Fha-il (which appropriately means "Capital City") to depend the impending crisis of an Earthling revolt against the Natives of the planet. He had been called by the government for advice, but Kal and some of his operatives inside the government were secretly seeking to control the protectorate absolutely, rather than hold indirect rule through alliances with the standing Martian government and their dependency on his aid, using his powers of persuasion to sway the meeting in his direction. Just as he was about to make a breakthrough in negotiations, the flood of emotions that fluttered around his mind were too much to bear, and he feared that he would be too distracted from the meeting to continue. _Why now, Clark? I can't focus when you do this to me!_

Kal continued his speech, despite the weight of Clark's sadness on his conscience. "Gentlemen, I believe that it would be in our best interest to further consolidate the power of the central Empire in the Martian territories." The words floated off his lips as though he hadn't a worry in the world, but inside he was dying. "I fear that, without quick and decisive action, we will have a war on our hands. The loss of life would be catastrophic, and would likely soil this empire's reputation as a peaceful, controlled, non-violent entity in an otherwise turbulent universe." He paused, seeking approval from his colleagues to continue.

"Proceed," an elderly martian, who was presiding over the meeting, replied in broken English. English had become the standard language of Kal-El's kingdom, a strategy employed by Kal when he first took power. First of all, while Kryptonian would naturally have been considered his first choice, he felt that his language was above the mud-dwellers who would be speaking it, that they were not worthy of learning such a refined language. But a universal language was needed in order to smooth communications and provide a sense of unity in the empire, so speaking English became the default for the empire. It was much easier to learn than the other galactic languages, and would serve to extend his control over his satellites by forcing them to speak _his_ first tongue.

"The Martian government, as it stands today, is utterly useless. Crime is higher than ever in recorded history, and the economy is experiencing a serious recession that is all but crippling its population. Statistics show that the percentage of citizens living in conditions of poverty is reaching a staggering 70. This has nearly tripled in the past 5 years alone. The amount of aid it is receiving from the Central Empire is reaching record highs, yet society is still in shambles. I believe that a transfer of power is needed, and that it should take place as soon as possible."

This may have been what he said, but what he _really_ was thinking was completely unrelated to the subject. _Go to her, you fool! Go to Lois! Don't be an idiot!_ Sure, he felt silly worrying about the love lives of teenagers, but he couldn't help it. Clark's emotions were to strong to fight off.

Some of the men nodded, some showed no emotion at all.

"Thank you for your opinion, Emperor Kal-El. This meeting will take a quick break for lunch in the dining room, and we will reconvene in one hour."

Everyone got up and moved towards the door, except for Kal and the martian presiding over the meeting. They slinked into a back room, where Kal confronted the man.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes Kal-El. This planet shall be yours in no more than a day. The king will be dead in an hour."

"Excellent." _How great it is to have people on the inside..._

Kal stepped out of the room and headed for his quarters. He needed to sort his thoughts before the meeting reconvened. He arrived in his room and collapsed onto the much-too-soft hotel mattress, massaging his temples in an attempt to drown out the running commentary in his head.

_I mean, I know that she kissed me, too...but I'm the one in a relationship, and I'm the one who has to be responsible..._

"Responsible? Screw responsible! Go to her..."

_Is it love that I have with Lois?..._

"Of course it is! God, how dense _was_ I when I was a kid?"

_Great...now everybody hates each other. Well, whatever I decide to do, I better do it quick..._

"Please do...I have to be back at that meeting in 30 minutes..."

Clark had mustered all the energy he had in his body, and still felt nervous about confronting Lois. He'd rehearsed an apology over and over in his head, but still wasn't sure what to do about their romantic situation. That part he would wing.

A panic attack and nervous breakdown later, Clark brought himself to knock on Lois' bedroom door. She opened it slowly, an emotion on her face that Clark struggled to decipher. It was like excitement, sadness, and anger all bunched up into one single look. _I've already hurt Lois...because I'm so indecisive! I have to do something, but what?_

"Clark?"

Clark was startled out of his thoughts. "Huh-what?"

"You zoned out on me there for a second. What do you want?" _Way to be insensitive, Lane..._Lois thought. She'd never been so confused in her life.

"Uh, yeah sorry. I just thought that we needed to talk." Clark replied, shuffling inside and looking at the ground. Lois sensed his tension.

"Chill out, Smallville. I'm not gonna bite your head off. I'm not even mad at you."

"You--you're not?" Clark stammered.

Lois sighed. "I was pretty angry, but I realized that it wasn't _completely_ your fault. I kind of encouraged you to kiss me that first time, and I shouldn't have blown up at you at the lake. I guess...I'm sort of jealous. Of what you and Lori have. I was playing second fiddle for a long time, there, you know?" She paused, wondering if she should go on any further. Luckily, Clark budged in.

"You are the _last_ person who should be sorry. I didn't exactly fight it, either. And I should have been more responsible...I do have a girlfriend back home, and I can't let myself forget that, but I don't want you to be jealous. You deserve to be happy, Lois, and I feel horrible that I ever made you feel that way."

"So can we kiss and make up now so we can get on with out lives?" Lois said, not thinking. She caught herself and corrected her error. "Not kiss for real, it's a figure of speech." She said hastily.

Clark smiled. "Of course. Your still my best friend, Lois, and you should never forget that." He flashed her a smile that made her want to melt. But without warning, Lucy's voice rang through her head. _"Who knows how long he's been planning his takeover? What if the Clark Kent we all know and love is a lie? And we're just pawns in his master plan?_ But she brushed this away, refusing to believe that Clark would like to her like that. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought.

"Are you ok?" Clark inquired seeing the sudden change in Lois' mood. She nodded "OK," still battling the demons that Lucy seemed to have planted in her head. _Stop it, Lane. You should trust Clark, and if you can't, well, maybe you don't deserve him in the first place._

"So where do we go from here?" She asked. She needed to finalize her status with Clark for her own sanity.

"I've been thinking about that, Lois," Clark began. "I hate to feel like I'm using you because you're my only friend in this time period."

Lois began to protest, but Clark waved her off. "I think we should just be friends. We can decide things better when we get home...if we get home..." he trailed off.

Lois looked as though she was about to cry--that was the last thing she'd wanted to hear from him. But she had no choice than to agree with him.

"OK, Smallville. Just friends." She said, feigning a smile. But inside, her heart had broken into a million pieces.


	16. Tragedy

This update is completely Lucy-centric, Flashback and all.  
It really affected me when I wrote it. Maybe it's just because I'm a bit sensitive, I don't know, but writing it was hard

Try to enjoy it...

a/n: the flashback is in italics.

**Chapter 16: Tragedy**

Not long after Clark and Lois agreed to keep their relationship on a just-friends basis, Lucy was preparing a meal in her kitchen. She furiously chopped potatoes onto the counter, channeling her blind rage into something constructive and harmless. She was angry at Lois for trusting Clark so easily, thinking all the while about her own trust that she had put in Clark. Her faith was completely blind, and look where she was because of it? The separated wife of a megalomaniacal dictator, with no family to call her own other than two teenagers who had decided to pay her a cross-dimensional visit.

_How did my life get so sad?_

The question was rhetorical--the very reason that she was so alone was because of Clark, or Kal, or whoever the heck he was. He was the cause of her misery. He had transformed her into the bitter old woman that she was, and she hated him for it. And while she was fully aware that the Clark sitting upsatirs with Lois was probably completely innocent, at least at this point in his life, he was the closest thing to her husband that she could grasp, and she secretly desired to choke the life out of him, just as he had done to her children so many years before.

They were barely in their prime, John and Lara, when they were taken. Lara was the older, bossy sibling, barely twenty-one, with a boyfriend whom she loved dearly and was engaged to be married to. Lucy was suspicious of a shotgun wedding, her daughter putting on some pounds around her middle that she nervously covered up with oversized sweaters and tunics just before the announcement of their engagement, but she let it slide, knowing that Lara would tell her mother when she was ready. Growing up Lara was an outgoing and carefree soul, with such beauty that Lucy never understood where it came from. Sure, she and Clark were both good looking, but Lara, with her bouncy golden curls, bright blue eyes and exotic features, was gorgeous. Clark would always tell Lucy that Lara resembled his mother. "Your kryptonian mother? How do you know what she looks like?" Lcuy remembered asking. Clark would smile blissfully and say that he had one clear memory of his mother from his infancy, and that she was the spitting image of their daughter. Perhaps that was why Clark and Lara were so close, Lucy often wondered. Clark and his daughter shared a bond that nobody could match, a bond that was tragically cut short by Clark's unfortunate transformation.

John, on the other hand, was a softspoken boy of seventeen at the time, but as sharp and cunning as they came. Born a few months after Clark left, He had always reminded Lucy of Clark, even in his appearance. He had always been advanced, even as a boy, when he would send his sister spinning with complex riddles and puzzles that posed him no challenge at all. He looked very much like his father, with dark black locks and chiseled features. He did take after Lois in some respects, in his eye color, nose, and ears, but aside from that he looked just like Clark. Lois would often joke that only for the fact that she carried them in her womb was she sure that the children were hers, since neither of the bore much of a resemblance to her. Clark joked that it was because of kryptonian superiority, to tick Lucy off.

But John, growing up fatherless in such a turbulent society, was very angry. He loved his family and friends with all his heart, apathetic he was not. He loved more than anybody she knew, and was often upset when others, specifically girlfriends, only returned his love halfway, as they could never experience such emotions as he did. But he was reclusive at times, and would snap when anyone tried to talk to him during these episodes. As he got older the episodes became less frequent, but more severe. He would devise plots and schemes, horrific but brilliant, and they all ended in the same goal. Destroying the empire.

Lucy had hidden their father's identity from her children, never wanting them to experience such shame for their own blood, especially with John's growing distate for the world around him. John never questioned Lucy's explanation that his father had died when Lucy was still pregnant. But Lara remembered her father. She was three when he disappeared, and had foggy memories of running through the vast cornfeilds with him while Lucy rested in the house, having their traditional saturday-afternoon lunch of peanut butter sandwiches and soda on a picnic blanket in the loft, where they would discuss everything that you could possibly imagine.

But ironically, despite Lara's connection to Clark, it was John who discovered the secrets of his heritage first. Lucy remembered the day vividly.

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_"Mom, can I talk to you for a minute?" _

Lucy was cutting the crusts off John's sandwich for school. A boy of 13, he was curious about the world around him, and would often ask challenging questions that left his mother no choice but to refer him to an encyclopedia.

"What was dad like?"

Lucy stopped mid-slice. "Well, he was a great man. Honest and loving. Always looking out for others before himself. He loved you very much, Johnny, even before you were born." Lucy justified this explanation to herself, saying that she wasn't exactly 'lying.' Clark she had married was all of these things and more. John's father, the man that Lucy had married and made love to, resulting in her two wonderful children, was the man she had told her children of. She simply chose to leave out the part where he went psycho.

John slammed his hand down on the counter in rage, sending a crack through it that caused it to split into pieces. He definitely had his father's strength "LIAR!" he shouted. Lucy didn't even have time to respond, as John was flashing an old photograph in front of his mother's face. Her body trembling, Lucy stared at the photograph in shock. It was a candid of Lucy, Clark, and Lara, sitting on a swingset that used to exist in the front yard. Lucy was leaning in to kiss her husband.

"This is the fucking emperor, and here you are, practically sucking his face off!"

"Don't be silly, Johnny--" Lucy began, trying to calm down her son.

"DON'T START, MOM! You've been covering this up for years, haven't you! Don't deny it, because it all makes too much sense for it not to be true. Have you ever noticed that me and Lara have the same powers as Kal-El? And you say that dad died when you were 8 months pregnant with me, and when did Kal-El rise to power? WHEN YOU WERE 8 GODDAMN MONTHS PREGNANT! Oh, and here's the icing on the cake--" he held the photo up to his face, looking at his mother maliciously. "I LOOK JUST LIKE HIM! So tell me the truth, is he my father?"

Lucy was shaking madly, hot tears streaming down her cheeks and uncontrollable sobs choking her. "Y--yes."

John's face fell--it was the answer he expected, but it was far from the one he wanted.

"H-he wasn't this way when I m-married h-him." She choked. "He was a h-hero. He s-s-saved so many p-people...And he l-loved you..." she began, the sobs slowly receding. She waited until she could speak clearly again, and continued.

"But one day, he changed. He became this...monster. I loved him, I always have and I always will, but the things he did to me...he held me captive for 3 years, Johnny. That's why you lived with Aunt Chloe and Uncle Bart for a while, because I was his hostage...I never told you, and I'm sorry. But I didn't want you to be ashamed of yourselves or where you come from...I just wanted you to be happy..."

John's emotions changed from anger to sadness. He had never seen his mother break down, she was always the rock in his life, the one stable force that would guide him and help him as he grew up. But now she was weak and trembling, all her demons layed out on the table for the world to see. John pulled her into an embrace and whispered gently in her ear. "Ssshhh...it's ok, mom. It's all ok...I love you, mom. I always will"

Lara, too, had discovered the secrets of her heritage shortly after John. She was more freaked out about being half-alien than the fact that her father was a dictator, although it still saddened her that the dad she lonce oved with all her heart had betrayed her and her family.

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Several years had passed.

It was a cold September day when John came up with the plan.

He had recently come out of a depression that had crippled him for weeks on end. He refused any medical treatement, and would not let his mother take him to a shrink. "I'm not crazy, mom." He would say when she proposed the idea. "I just see things for what they really are...and what they really are is crap."

But, on a morning that ordinarily would seem no different than any other, the Lane household had erupted into a full-scale war zone.

"I am not gonna let you attack the Palace!" Lucy shouted over her cereal. Lara and Danny, her fiance, were seated next to her at the dining room table, trying to absorb John's plan to assassinate Kal-El.

"Mom, I have to do this, and I think I've found the perfect way! It's foolproof!" he shouted back. Lara sighed to Danny, "He goes through one of these every month. Don't worry," and she kissed him on the cheek before returning to her breakfast.

"I am not gonna let you risk your life on a crackpot plan! Kal is absolutely rutheless, he'll kill you just like he killed Chloe and everybody else who's ever faced him. You're seventeen years old, Johnny. You have your whole life ahead of you! Don't throw it away like this!" Lucy cried, remembering her cousin's charred body and Lana's snapped neck when they too had decided to face Kal. The images blinded her, and she lost her appetite.

"Mom's right, J." Lara announced, calling her little brother by his pet name. "Not even you're_ strong enough to take him on." She said this, not worrying about her fiance overhearing, considering that he'd learned about Lara and John's heritage when he proposed to her. Danny nodded his head in approval. _

"Can you at least listen to me for a minute before you shoot my idea down?" John beckoned. Lucy showed him no objection, and he layed down some plans on the table. The family looked them over, and were amazed by it's intricacy. John was a genius, there was no doubt, and his brilliance glistened on the paper in the form of diagrams and penstrokes. It was almost frightening, the level of his intellect.

"Johnny, this is--" Lucy tried to find the word.

"Perfect, I know." He said, completing her sentence.

"I was thinking more along the lines of insane!" Lucy fired back. "You're my only son, you're seventeen and young and have your whole life ahead of you! Why risk it like this!"

"I'm not a kid anymore, ma!" John protested.

Lara piped in. "Mom's right, J. Even if you could get to Kal, how do you know you're strong enough to kill him?"

"I know my strength, Lara, and I have the element of suprise on my side."

"No."

"What, mom?"

"I said, no Johnathan. You are not going to go through with this." Lucy said, not angrily or loudly, but her tone was stern nonetheless. "As long as you live in my house, you live under my rules, and I refuse to let you go on this suicide mission. I don't care how good your plan is, I have already lost my entire family, and I will not lose you too..."

When Lucy invoked the wrath of the "family" speech, not to mention using John's full name, Lara and John knew that the battle was over. What could you say to her at that point? Not much...so John silently retreated to his room, for what nobody expected would be the last time.

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"Where the hell is Johnny? LARA! Get over here now!"

Lara was asleep on the living room sofa, but was startled awake by her mother's piercing shriek. "What the hell, ma?"

"Where the heck is your brother?" Lucy ordered.

Lara rubbed her eyes and yawned slightly. "I dunno. He's upstairs, right?"

"He's not in his bedroom, not even in this house. I need you to look for him."

"Why? He's a big boy, he can find his own way home--"

Lucy held up the crumpled piece of paper that had once been the blueprints for John's attack, and Lara got the message. Her mother feared that John had gone to the palace to kill Kal-El.

"I'll take a look, mommy." Lara replied, and sped off in a flash. It didn't take her long to return to the living room, a piece of paper in her hand.

"I found this on his desk, ma..."

Lara said no more, as the lump in her throat restricted her from speech. Lucy grabbed the paper and read it.

**''Mom & Lara,**

**I've made my decision, and as much as it hurts me, I have to do this. Kal-El will only grow worse as the years go on, and I'm the only one in the world who has a chance to defeat him. I'm sure that I'll succeed, so don't worry. I'll be back before you know it.**

**But I'm writing this to you in the event that I don't come back. I want to tell you that I love you both with all my heart. Mom, you are my strength, and you will always have a special place in my heart. And Lara, I know that you will be a great wife and mother, you are a strong and caring woman who I admire immensely. Tell Dan that I think he's a great guy, too, and even if I can't be there with you on that altar in body, I will always be with you in spirit.**

**This is my destiny. I can't fight it anymore.**

**Love, J''**

Lucy collapsed on the couch. The strength in her legs was gone. She couldn't breathe or speak, so she shook her head violently and cradled her head in her hands.

Lara spoke up first. "I'm going after him." She said it firmly and without hesitation.

These words were enough to break Lucy out of her stupor. "NO!" she cried. "I am not going to lose both my children! You can't do this to me...to yourselves. You're so young and have your whole lives ahead of you, don't throw them away! Please! I'm begging you!"

Lara sighed. "Mom, I have to...I can't let Johnny go in there alone..."

"I WILL NOT LOSE MY DAUGHTER, TOO!" Lucy cried. "You have a career and a fiance and a baby to live for," she said, throwing in her suspicions about Lara's pregnancy in an attempt to change her mind.

Lara didn't protest to her mother's accusation about her baby. "I know, mommy. I'm not gonna fight, but I will step in if J gets hurt and get him out of there as fast as I can. He needs me there..."

"I--I can't stop you, can I?" Lucy stammered. Her daughter's words showed that she had made up her mind, and she would go whether her mother let her or not.

Lara smiled. "I'll come back. So will Johnny. But still, tell Danny I love him."

She turned, grabbed a jacket, and headed out the door. Lucy had cried herself dry, and watched as Lara stepped onto the porch, the moonlight framing her curls in a halo around her head. She was a beauty of another world, in her prime, risking her own life for her flesh and blood. But before she closed the door behind her, she turned to her mother and smiled.

"It's a girl."

And she was gone...

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Johnny had broken into the palace easily, knocking out a guard or two and racing to the top floor. Tonight was the night he would kill the emperor, he felt it in his bones. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he felt energized and ready for action. At least until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, and was met with the concerned face of his sister.

"Don't do this J." She begged. "Come home. Please."

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked. "Get out, Lara. You're freakin pregnant, and you're engaged! This is what I was meant to do, not you. You were destined for so much more."

"Fuck destiny! Go home, J. Go back to school, get a girlfriend and live your life! Don't waste it on this!"

But John was halfway through the door of the emperor's quarters. He'd studied Kal-El for weeks, he knew that, about this time, he'd be fast asleep. It was the perfect time to strike. He sped into the room, Lara following, but a distance behind. She would not fight, she promised her mother. And that was a promise she intended to keep.

But John had no more than set foot on the threshhold before he was met with the smiling face of Kal-El himself. But it was not a warm smile, but the smile of a maniac, of a man who yearned for the taste of blood, with his prey having waltzed right up to him.

"Hello, little boy. I've been expecting you."

He grabbed John's throat and lifted him into the air. Lara stifled a gasp, not sure of what to do. John fought back as hard as he could, kicking and flailing, but to no avail. "Ah, a strong one!" Kal replied coldly. "This makes things so much more interesting."

A flick of the wrist, and John was dead. He fell to the floor in a limp pile. Lara tried to speed out, grab John, and get the hell out of the palace. But Kal was faster, and stopped her at the door.

"How nice, seconds!" Kal declared to the girl carrying her brother's body.

"Please, let me go. I'll leave and never come back, I swear!" She cried.

"Now, how can I know that for sure?" He pondered, tapping his chin, feigning thought on the subject.

"Please..."

Kal smiled, and punched the girl as hard as he could, sending her to the opposite wall. The pain took her by surprise, it was something she had never felt in her life until this moment. Kal's strength frightened her, and the sight John's body on the other side of the room turned her stomach. But as hard as Lara tried, she couldn't get her limbs to move. She was frozen.

Kal appeared in front of her, preparing to finish the job.

"Daddy, no! Don't do this! I'm your daughter!" Lara cried, using the only card she had left. "Don't you remember me, daddy? It's Lara! Your baby girl! Don't do this, daddy, please don't"

Kal froze for a second, and Lara felt a glimmer of hope as she saw him hesitate. He didn't know whether to believe her or not, this could be some elaborite trick or delirium on the girl's part. But what is she really was his Lara?

Kal apparently decided that she wasn't, as her delivered a fatal blow to her head, letting the eternal darkness claim her for it's own.

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The funeral was held on a frigid winter's day, eerily reminding Lucy of Johnathan Kent's death so many years ago. But this funeral was different. Lucy was flanked by Danny's family and some of John and Lara's friends, who stood a distance behind Lucy reverence for Lara and John. But there was no one there for Lucy herself, because all the family she had known and loved were dead. Every last one of them. She was completely alone in the world this time, with nothing but memories to accompany her, to grieve with her.

She had delivered the news to Danny immediately after she found out about her children's passing, and the passing of his unborn daughter. He shot himself that same night. His funeral would be held in his home state of California, where his family would have their own service for him.

But today was Lucy's day to grieve. All other mourners had already gone, but Lucy found herself rooted to the spot in front of the gravesite. The names had yet to be carved into the tombstone, and the dirt covering the caskets was fresh and moist on the ground, slowly being consumed by a layer of snow, as though God was sealing the grave himself with the pure and cleanest snow that had ever fallen from the sky.

Lucy fell to her knees, not caring if she filthied herself on the ground, not feeling the sting of the cold in her legs. She saw, heard, and felt only the stone before her, the only piece of evidence that her children had ever existed. It was an impersonal representation of two young, vivid lives lost. It told nothing about the love they had for others, the lives they had led, the joy they had brought to everyone they knew. It was only a skeleton, an identification that somewhere deep below the earth lay the bodies of the fallen children, that they had been born and they had died.

Lucy read the plastic labels that had been tacked on the stone, to serve as temps until they got around to carving the names in. She had no more tears to cry, but stayed in silent reverence, saying goodbye to her children for one last time.

**Lara Martha Lane- November 2nd, 2011- December 12th, 2032  
Beloved Daughter, Sister, Mother, and Fiance**

**Johnathan "J"Samuel Lane- August 6th, 2016- December 12th, 2032  
Beloved Son and Brother**

And, the most chilling of all, Lucy had chosen to include her unborn grandaughter on the gravestone, giving her a name that was symbolic to her on infinite levels. A carved cherub hovered over the solitary name of two girls, one in the same, whose lives were cut short before they had even had a chance to live it.

**Lois Lane- 2032**

_May They Rest Eternally in God's Loving Arms_

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	17. Nightmare

It's a bird, It's a plane, It's an update!

And sooner than I'd imagined. Cool.

Not one of my favorite installments, I must say. But it's a stepping stone to bigger and better things (I keep saying that... hopefully these bigger and better things will make themselves evident soon).

Anyway, THE HOT KAL AVI DEMANDS THAT YOU READ AND REVIEW! DO NOT TEMPT THE HOT KAL AVI! IT IS ALL POWERFUL!

**Chapter 17: Nightmare**

The smell of pot roast and garlic mashed potatoes floated from the kitchen up to the bedroom where Lois and Clark were resting, both of them fast asleep after their eventful afternoon. Lois was the first one awake, but stayed in her bed, gathering her thoughts. It had been such an unusual day...

She turned over onto her stomach, her head peeping over the edge of her bed, staring diligently at Clark, who was fast asleep on the floor. _He must have been tired..._ she thought. _I'll let him sleep, he sure as hell needs it._

Lois remained there, simply looking at Clark. His body was pulled into a fetal position, facing her. His fists were clenched, she noticed, and his muscles seemed tensed. Lois examined his face. _He looks just like everybody else...he's more human than any of us..._ She was still coming to terms with his heritage, not because she was afraid of him, but because the fact that he was an alien just didn't seem to 'click' in her brain. She'd seen him fly, for God's sake, but when she looked at him she saw, not an orphaned alien or a super-powered freak, but the same bumbling farmboy that she'd grown to love.

Yes. Love.

Before she could depart into her fantasy world, Lois was startled awake when Clark, completely out of the blue, started screaming. He screamed at the top of his lungs. His eyes flew open, completely bloodshot, glowing so brightly that they seemed to illuminate the room. The walls shook from the force of the scream, which was so primal and tortured that Lois knew Clark was in severe pain. What alarmed Lois even more was that Clark was screaming actual words. She couldn't identify the language exactly (it sounded like English mixed with another tongue that sounded vaguely Asiatic), but she was sure that they were words that he was shouting. Sentences. A whole story full of pain and misery. Lois rolled off the bed, nearly breaking her neck in the process, and landed next to Clark. She shook him as hard as she could, yelling over him to wake up.

"Clark! Snap out of it! CLARK!"

...

Clark was trapped.

The horrendous green walls were drawing closer and closer, and with each inch they moved, the pain coursing through his body was magnified tenfold. Clark nervously scanned the room for a door, a window, anything that he could use to crawl out of the room. It was a futile effort; there were no entrances or exists to be found. The room was completely sealed, and shrinking at a pace that was faster than Clark was comfortable with.

Clark's legs soon failed him, and he collapsed onto the floor, which only exacerbated his pain further, since the floor was made from solid kryptonite. He struggled for breath, feeling like his lungs were being compressed by a thousand pounds of weight that he could not free himself from. He struggled to keep his head up, to keep himself conscious and alert. He would not die in this horrible place, not without a fight.

Suddenly, the walls stopped moving. The crept to a halt with a screech that sent shivers up Clark's spine, although that might have also been caused by the constant pain being inflicted on him. A doorway carved itself out of the kryptonite wall, swinging open to reveal a blazing white light that burned Clark's skin to the bone. Clark squinted into the light, and made out a figure against the brightness, moving closer and closer to him. At first the figure appeared as a black blur against the light, but soon his body became more defined, and his features came into better focus. He was tall, with wavy hair, and a toned body that most men would kill for. He looked eerily familiar, but Clark couldn't place him. The kryptonite exposure was muddling his thoughts.

"Hello, Clark," The man said, his voice allowing Clark to identify him.

Clark struggled to keep his head up, so he could look the man in the eye. "Kal," He replied as confidently as he could, with a hint of loathing in his greeting that was plainly evident to both men.

Kal-El smiled. "Having a good time?" he inquired sarcastically, knowing full well that the kryptonite was causing Clark immeasurable pain. Clark, predictably, didn't answer.

"Do you know why you're here?" Kal added, as though he had just sent Clark to time-out for being a bad boy. Clark still maintained eye contact with Kal, wishing that he could muster the strength to incinerate the bastard right then and there.

When Clark didn't answer again, Kal-El decided to continue with his little speech. "You made a bad mistake, Clark. A mistake that may just end up costing you a lot of pain and suffering...All your efforts to stop me are in vain, you know. Eventually you'll come to me, you'll complete your training with me--"

"Training for what?" Clark interrupted. "Why are you doing all this, why did you bring me here!"

"Training for what," Kal mocked. "Training to rule, of course! God, Clark, I didn't know you were so thick. I think I've made it rather obvious why you're here--"

"I'll die before I follow you..."

"Oh I highly doubt that" Kal interjected. "You wouldn't dare take your own life, you don't have it in you...and I have my ways of making you follow me, Clark. There's only so much pain that even _you_ can withstand."

Kal strolled over to the wall, and tapped it with his finger. "5 feet of solid kryptonite lining each of these walls."

"How come this isn't hurting you, too?" Clark groaned through his pain. Kal simply smiled.

"Why doesn't it hurt me, you ask? Well, that's a little trick that I'm gonna keep a secret."

"Are you invincible to kryptonite?" Clark asked. Then, something happened that brought Clark more pain than even the purest of meteor rock. The thought of following Kal, just to rid himself of this torture, passed through his mind. _After all, if Kal-El is invincible to kryptonite, maybe if I follow him I'll be invincible to it, too... _Clark stopped that thought. He tried not to show it, but he was now more afraid than he'd ever been in his life, more than when he was stranded in Metropolis 2056, more than when he was kidnapped by Kal-El.

_I can't believe I just thought that..._

Kal laughed, as though he'd read Clark's mind. He seemed pleased, the plot was working. "Invincible? No, Clark, not quite. But I have my means to get by." Kal said. He had once considered building an anecdote to make him immune to the effects of Kryptonite, but realized that, in order to be healed of his aversion to the rock, he would have to be exposed to it, and he didn't trust his staff enough to put his life in their hands. After all, it wouldn't take much of an overdose to kill him. So he'd quarantined it, in a location that nobody knew of but him.

"I'll say it again, 5 feet of kryptonite, more than enough to kill you."

"You wouldn't kill me! If you kill me, then you die too!"

"Who said anything about killing you, Clark? I can just make you suffer...for as long as I want. I can make all this pain go away...what do you say, Clark?" Kal held out his hand, beckoning Clark to take it.

Clark felt as though his insides were on fire. His eyes blazed with a fury that illuminated the room with an eerie red glow. He shouted things at Kal-El that were so horrible they cannot repeat in mixed company. In English, in Kryptonian, in any language that entered his mind, he shouted more curse words than he was even aware he knew. Kal was not alarmed, he maintained his composure throughout the amusing display. When Clark was finished, Kal turned his back and strolled out of the room. But before he closed the door, Kal, not even bothering to turn around, left Clark with one final thought.

"I control all of this, Clark. I can bring you here whenever I want, and only I can let you out. You have no power here. I can free you, under the condition that you surrender to me...but if you don't, well, I guess we'll have to find other, more painful means." The word 'painful' rolled off his tongue with added annunciation, indicating that he meant business. "Chose wisely."

He shut the door, and Clark was alone again The walls restarted their painfully sluggish retraction. He screamed louder than before, his organs tossing and turning and his skin burning from the kryptonite exposure. If there was ever a moment where Clark was sure that he would die, this was it.

But, without any warning, the pain ceased.

...

"Please, Clark, wake up! Come on, Smallville, snap out of it."

Clark's eyes fluttered open, and the faces of Lois and Lucy slowly came into focus. Lois was crying, and Lucy was shaking him with all her strength.

_I must be a mess...but at least they saved me from Kal...again_

"Thank you..." were the first words out of Clark's mouth.

Lois' tears ceased when she saw that Clark was alive and well, and out of his frightening trance. "What do you mean, thanks? We didn't do anything but pour a bucket of water on you."

"That must have been some nightmare you had." Lucy added.

Clark was now rather confused. He shifted his body a little bit, feeling the dampness in his clothes from the water that was dumped on him. "Nightmare, what nightmare? You saved me from Kal and that room with the kryptonite."

"Kryptonite?" Lois asked. Apparently Clark hadn't gone over his weakness with Lois yet. "Wasn't that your planet or something?"

"_Krypton_ was his planet," Lucy corrected. _Kryptonite_ is meteor rock, pieces of his home planet. It makes him sick./I

"Oh," Lois rolled her eyes. "Sure..."

"What kryptonite room, Clark?" Lucy asked, returning to the problem at hand.

"Kal kidnapped me...he had me in this room filled with kryptonite, and he said he wouldn't let me go 'till I joined him. But I didn't join him, so you guys must have saved me, right?"

"Clark, you've been asleep most of the afternoon. Remember? We came home and talked for a bit, and you said you were tired and needed to sleep." Lois reminded him. But Clark remembered none of it--the memory of the room was the only thing in his mind at the moment.

"A dream? It was only a dream..." He said, more to convince himself of this fact than out of actual belief in it. "But, Lucy, is it possible for him to trap you in your dreams? Everything...it was all so real..."

"That's just a little _too_ far fetched, even for this time period, Clark," Lucy reassured him. "It was a nightmare, people get nightmares all the time. Maybe you were just reliving when you were _really_ kidnapped."

"Yeah, maybe..."

But Kal's words still echoed in his head._ "I control all of this, Clark. I can bring you here whenever I want, and only I can let you out. You have no power here. I can free you, under the condition that you surrender to me...but if you don't, well, I guess we'll have to find other, more painful means..."_

This was the phrase that made Clark decide that he needed to take action. He needed to free himself from this living hell...But did he really stand a chance?

...

Meanwhile, Kal was back in his office (he spent most of his time there) recovering from his invasion into Clark's mind. His scientists had initially told him that mind-control was unethical and too dangerous to administer, especially as a method of torture. Those scientists didn't live very long after that.

The technology was developed exclusively for Kal to invade Clark's brain. He'd been planning this operation for a long time, as you can probably tell, and he was more than ecstatic when it was completed in January of 2056 (along with several other projects that have yet to be disclosed) He'd summoned Clark and Lois to his time period shortly after that. The mind-control technique was initially a back-up plan in case he failed to convince Clark to join him by other means. The pain it caused was excruciating, and, if not monitored carefully, could kill Clark and, by default, Kal-El himself.

The pain was so bad that Kal felt it in his own body, not as a memory, but as actual pain in his own body. The throbbing was concentrated around his scar, which had begun to bleed today, signaling that he would soon be confined to his bed from another "episode." There were times when Kal asked himself if he was going to far by torturing Clark, causing him such horrific pain, just so he could become a dictator.

A surge of pain coursed through the scar on his back. _I'll have to wait a while before I try this again...but if it means that I'll never have to experience THIS again, then it is definitely worth it..._

...

The Kent Farm seemed somewhat back to normal by the time dinner rolled around. Clark was a bit jumpy, this was understandable. Lucy slaved over the dinner table, eager to enjoy a normal family dinner for the first time in a while. Lois helped her set the table and whipped up some iced tea for them.

"This smells too good, Lucy." Clark said, trying to get his mind off the 'dream' and his thoughts about following Kal. That simple thought was what bothered him the most, more than anything Kal did to torture him. And while he knew that he'd never go over to the 'dark side,' the fact that he'd even thought about it gave him such guilt that it would last for years to come.

"When did you learn to cook?" He said, changing the subject. "Last I checked, Lois burned everything she touched. Meat, pasta, I think she actually managed to burn a milkshake once."

Lois glared at him, but Lucy smiled. "I had a lot of time on my hands over the years, Smallville. Cooking is an art, it takes practice..."

She set the roast on the table, and Lois and Clark salivated. They dug their forks into the meat, piling heaping portions on their plates. It had been a long time since they'd enjoyed a home-cooked meal, being college students who lived solely off McDonald's and the occasional Cup O'Noodles.They scarfed down their first serving in less than a minute, and were quickly back for seconds.

"See, I told you I could cook," Lucy laughed. "But _chew_ please...you can actually _taste_ the food that way."

The roast was gone ten minutes later, the iced tea practically inhaled, and the mashed potatoes packed away wherever Lois and Clark could find room in their stomachs. Not a single word was uttered during the entire meal. Clark decided that he should spark up some sort of conversation. But the topic he chose was probably not the best...

"I need to see Jor-El."

Lois swallowed the last bit of food in her mouth, and Lucy just stared at him sadly. "I think he can help us," Clark added.

Lois tried to recall some of the information that Clark had told her about his heritage. "OK, Jor-El is your...father, right?"

"You can't go see see him." Lucy interrupted.

"Why not? He's helped me through a lot of my other problems, I'm sure he can stop Kal-El. Remember how he helped me destroy Zod?"

"Who's Zod?" Lois asked, packing another bite of potatoes into her mouth, resulting in something that sounded more like "Hoo-za?".

"You can't go see him because he doesn't exist anymore."

"Isn't he already dead?" Lois asked again, mouth cleared of any remaining food. This conversation was way over her head.

"What do you mean 'gone'"

"I mean gone as in GONE. I've been to the caves, he isn't there anymore."

"He lived in a cave? Was he like a hermit?" Lois piped up loudly. She was getting impatient.

"Maybe he only answers to me, I don't know. I have to get to the fortress, it's the best chance we have."

"What fortress. There's a fortress involved in this now? Are we talking military base or walled city?" Lois was getting more curious by the minute.

"There is no more fortress."

"What fortress?"

"Of course there's a fortress, Lucy. How could anyone possibly find it?"

"WHAT FORTRESS!"

"It's gone, Clark. Maybe Kal destroyed it."

"I'm pregnant." Lois said to catch their attention, and rolling her eyes when Lucy and Clark still ignored her.

"Do you have the key, Lucy?"

"With Clark's baby!" Lois added.

"Yeah in my safe... but the fortress is GONE Clark. We just have to find another way around this."

"It has two heads." Lois described, talking over the feuding duo. "Yep, two heads, 8 arms." Still nothing from Lucy or Clark. "6 penises."

The conversation stopped dead. "WHAT?" Lucy and Clark said simultaneously.

"OK, you guys gotta remember that I just found out about Smallville's secret _today_," Lois reminded them. "I have no clue what either of you are talking about, and I'd really appreciate if you told me what the heck is going on!"

Clark sighed. "Sorry, Lois. The fortress is a place I go to learn about Krypton, or just to be alone. It's a replication of Krypton, up by the north pole, filled with information on everything Kryptonian. I wanted to go there because Jor-El, who I can talk to from the fortress, may be able to help us beat Kal-El, but Lucy thinks that Jor-El and the fortress were destroyed or something. But we all know that's IMPOSSIBLE!" He added angrily, aiming the comment at Lucy.

"Go ahead, try it, see if I care..." Lucy replied snottily. "You're not gonna find what you need." She pulled a key out of her pocket. "Go to my bedroom, the safe is under the bed. Take Lois with you, too. If she wants to know about Krypton so badly, this is a perfect way to find out."

Clark grabbed the key and sped upstairs, opening the safe and placing the octagonal key that it guarded in his pocket. He ran back down a split second later.

"Let's go," he said, eager and afraid at the same time to find out what had gone down inside the Fortress.

...

Since neither Clark nor Lois could figure out how to drive Lucy's hovercar, they decided to run to the caves. Lois hopped in Clark's arms and the sped off. A split second later they were in the caves, in a room with a stone altar in the center, decorated with glyphs and symbols that blew Lois' mind. It was Clark's portal to the Fortress.

"Whoa!" Lois exclaimed. "How'd you find all this?"

"It was left here for me..." Clark answered, the memory of the day he proposed to Lana flashing briefly through his mind. He brushed it away. Clark had since realized that he and Lana were not meant to be, and that the only reason he proposed to her was because he feared that Lex would take her, or that she'd end their friendship because of his secret. All this happened anyway, and they were slowly rebuilding their friendship from square-one. But it would never amount to anything more than that.

Clark pulled the key out of his pocket and showed it to Lois. "This is my key. It's how I get to the Fortress." Lois looked confused, so Clark decided that a demonstration was in order. He placed the key in the slot and, in a bright flash of light, they were whisked away.

When Lois and Clark reached the North Pole, both of them were in shock. Lois was shocked because all around her was pure white snow. Clark was in shock because the Fortress was gone, without a trace.


	18. Fortress

**Chapter 18A: Fortress**

_It's gone..._

_The Fortress is gone..._

"It's over..."

Lois didn't notice the completely shocked look on Clark's face, the fact that he was pacing in circles, or even his mumbled surrender to fate. She was still completely flabbergasted at the majesty of the surrounding area. It was nothing but snow, framed by mile-high mountains on the horizon with shining white peaks that reflected the sun onto the frozen tundra, endowing it with the soft glisten of life. The whole scene looked like something out of a Christmas card, and Lois wanted to savor every moment.

"Hey Smallville, where's your Fortress thing?" She asked, not impatiently or rudely, but out of curiosity. She prayed it wasn't far... she was freezing, even with her down jacket and scarf.

Clark glared at her angrily. "It's gone, Lois! Are you deaf or something? It's gone! We're finished! He cried. Lois' heart jumped through her chest when he shouted. It was a rare thing to see Clark Kent yell at anyone, even at his angriest. It scared her a little...

Clark dropped to the ground in despair. His face met the cold, wet snow and his arms flailed in the drifts, kicking up ice that flew on the breeze and smacked Lois in the face. He bashed his arms against the ground, much like a toddler during a temper tantrum, screaming incoherently and cursing anything and anyone he could think of-- God, Kal-El, Jor-El, even Lex got an honorable mention in his display. Lois watched silently, somewhat fearful and completely distraught. It pained her to see Clark upset, but, knowing full well what he could do, she worried that he would do something stupid or harmful in his fit of rage. She chose not to talk to him or even go near him...He'd overreacted when she'd simply asked about the Fortress, and she didn't want her sympathy to come across to him as something else.

Eventually he stopped. He settled down, stopped thrashing about and swearing, took a few deep breaths, and, when he was sure he was calm, sat up in the snow. His eye's met Lois', who was doing her very best to hide her turbulent emotions.

"It's gone, Lois. It was right here..." he sighed. "And now it's gone."

Lois cautiously walked though the drifts and over to Clark's side, and sat herself on the snow next to him (which was probably not the best idea---not only was she cold, but now she'd lost all feeling in her legs and bottom, and her pants were soaked through.) She put her hand on Clark's shoulder. "It'll be OK, Clark. We'll find a way through this," she whispered softly.

"It's not OK, Lois..." Clark replied, his head facing the ground and his voice low and shaky. "After my dad died, Jor-El was the closest thing I had to a father...I mean, he _was_ my father and everything, but I'd always pulled away from him...But suddenly he was all I had left...and I went to him for advice. Without him, I don't know what I'm supposed to do..."

"Clark, look at me," She answered, preparing herself for some serious damage-control. Clark kept his head low, and she repeated. "Clark Jerome Kent, look at me."

He looked up, a weak smile on his face. "You sound like my mom."

Lois grinned back. "I'll take that as a compliment, Smallville. Your mom's a great woman. I wish I could be like her someday." Clark smiled a little wider, but it soon fell back into a frown as he remembered the matter at hand.

"Clark..." Lois began. "I know Jor-El's gone...but I'm sure that he gave you all that advice and helped you all those times so that you would come away with something _more_ than just a quick fix. Mr. Kent and Jor-El...they've armed you well for this world, and made sure that you had every possible resource they could provide for you. You're a great man, who stands up for what's right and never _ever_ gives up, no matter what. You're a downright boy scout." Clark and Lois smiled again at this comment.

"And this time'll be no different. It'll be hard, that's a given, and I know that you'd rather have the guidance that the Fortress gave you...but you're smart, Clark. You can figure this out on your own, I know you can..." Lois stopped and thought to herself for a moment. "As a matter of fact, you _don't_ have to go this alone...I'll be with you, Clark. I'll always be there next to you, dishing out some sort of rude comment or dig, probably...but as long as it's in my power, I will _never_ leave you, and I will help you in any way I can. We can beat this, Clark. I know we can."

Clark didn't speak right away. He was still processing everything that Lois had told him. Inside, he knew it was all true, but being on his own was a new step for him. Having the Fortress was like his security blanket. While he could certainly function without it, he felt much more comfortable with it around to solve his problems for him somewhat painlessly.

Lois broke the silence, which was not awkward at all, amazingly. Her speech about guidance and her pride in the way she handled the situation was quickly being overcome by the numbness in her lower half.

"Let's get out of here, Smallville. Not that I'm not getting a kick out of this whole "Frozen tundra" scenery, but I'm getting frostbite in places that I didn't even know I had. I seriously need a hot chocolate."

Clark smiled. "I told you to wear something warm before we left!"

"Well, my wardrobe choices are kind of limited, ya know? Either this piece of crap uniform-jumpsuit thing, or that skirt I was wearing when we got here. It's not my fault you aliens like the whole "Arctic" thing." She shot back. The cold was making her impatient.

Clark scanned the area, hoping that the portal from the Fortress was still somewhere around--otherwise, he'd have to run home, and, even in the years he had been coming to the fortress, he was still unsure of its exact location, and it was possible that he'd run in the complete wrong direction and end up in Siberia.

He looked around, X-Raying the ground. His heart sank when he saw shards of crystal buried beneath the snow, broken and scattered throughout the entire plain, the fractured remains of his second home. He tried to gauge the depth of the crystals, so he could maybe figure out how long they had been buried. They were pretty far underground, maybe 20 or 30 feet, rooted in pure ice. He didn't give up, though. The altar and his key had to be somewhere around here, he was sure of it. And even if he had to dig, he'd get back home.

That's when he spotted it. The altar was cracked in a few pieces, the key resting in the slot on the fragment directly underneath him. He got on his knees, dug his hands into the ground and broke into the solid ice. Lois watched, not quite sure what he was doing, or what he was looking for, but she didn't interfere.

Clark dug farther and farther into the earth--five feet, ten feet, fifteen feet of solid ice out of his way. The familiar carving and symbols slowly came into Clark's view. He'd found his way home.

"Hey Lois! Come down here!" He shouted from the bottom of the hole he had created in the ice. Lois approached the edge, looked down, and shook her head. "That's like 20 feet, Smallville. Unlike you, I can actually snap my neck jumping down there!"

"I'll catch you!" He called back. He held out his arms, and waited for her to jump. She shook her head again, her stomach turning at the height.

"Come on, Lo!"

Lois closed her eyes and stepped off the edge. She sailed through the air for a second, and landed cradled in Clark's arms. His embrace was so comfortable, she thought. When she was in Clark's arms, she felt completely safe and secure. Even though she'd only been in that position twice, Lois somehow predicted that this was exactly where she was meant to be. In Clark's arms, forever.

Clark picked the key out of the slot, still carrying Lois, and placed it back in. The familiar white light engulfed them, and before they knew it, they were back in the caves.

As he and Lois started the walk back home, Clark began to think about what Lois had said. He knew that, even if he had to go it alone since the Fortress was gone, he would do anything and everything in his power to make sure that the future was different, that things turned out better.

_But I'm not alone,_ he remembered. Lois had promised him she'd stay by his side...Not that she had much of a choice, given their situation. But Clark knew that Lois' word was law...one thing she didn't do was bullshit...and that she really _would_ help him out.

_I don't know how much she can help, though...Kal's stronger than I am, faster, smarter, more ruthless...She won't be able to do much..._

How wrong he was.


	19. The Plan

**Chapter 19: The Plan**

_3 weeks later_

It had been a month since the fateful day when Lois and Clark found themselves stranded in the year 2056. With each passing day, their hope diminished a little more, as they realized that they might never get home.

Lois spent much of her time alone, reading any book she could get her hands on. There was not much else to do in the future, despite the vast technological advancements that had been made, and books became her only source of entertainment. Every time Lois would turn on the television or computer, she'd see images of the Emperor, invincible and all-powerful, and a wave of despair would wash over her already broken heart. It seemed as though Clark's transformation would be inevitable if they didn't do something soon.

But what was there to do? They had no kryptonite, aside from the miniscule capsule that had been removed from Clark's shoulder, which was now gathering dust in the storm cellar. Lucy was aware that there _was_ kryptonite somewhere on the planet (she couldn't explain why it was still around, apparently Kal didn't feel comfortable with her knowing as much as she did) but she had no clue as to its whereabouts, and they lacked the resources to gain access to it even if they did. So that plan was out. Lois had no other ideas.

Lucy was also quite reclusive during the past 3 weeks. She slaved over old photo albums and possessions of her children. Not a day went by when she didn't think about John and Lara, but it the only memories she seemed to have left of her children were unpleasant ones. Years of torment and loneliness had removed any shred of happiness from her being, and only the darkness and shadows of misery remained. She was a shell, nothing like her former self, the young, vivacious woman she used to be. She wanted nothing more than to die, to join her children once more in endless happiness. But she couldn't abandon Lois and Clark. They were her only source of hope. It was a bittersweet hope, however. For every positive thought she had about them, there was always the looming possibility of failure, that fate was taking its course, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Yet Clark's situation was, by far, the most morbid of all. He didn't talk, he didn't eat, he didn't sleep. He was too afraid that, if he let his guard down for a moment, Kal-El would come and claim him. He'd had one other "dream" of the kryptonite torture chamber 1 week earlier, when he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and unwelcome sleep came over him. The torture had been worse than the last time, taking Clark to the brink of death. He would cry and scream, but Kal had no remorse. He had one agenda--taking Clark for his own. And no matter how much it hurt him, or Clark, he would do anything to accomplish this goal.

This particular "dream" had been much worse than the last. Clark woke with severe burns smoldering on the parts of his body where the kryptonite had touched his bare skin. Lois and Lucy had rushed to his aid (they now believed Clark's assertions that Kal was torturing him...the wounds Clark had sustained were more than enough proof) and, 3 days and some serious sunbathing later, Clark was as good as new. At least physically. His emotional state seemed to weaken with each day, and Lois and Lucy feared that he would crumble under the pressure, and he would accept Kal-El's offer, just to end the pain. The though of giving in _had_ crossed Clark's mind several times over the past few weeks, and every time he would lock himself in his room, dealing with the guilt that these thoughts brought to him. He wished he could die. He wished that he could end his life, so nobody would have to deal with the pain and oppression that he would inflict as the future ruler. But he couldn't. Not because he physically could not (he knew of the kryptonite in the cellar, and estimated that it would be enough to weaken him substantially so he could take his life by another means.) But, emotionally, he could not bring himself to it. He was afraid of death, even though he believed he could help so many people by dying. And, again, when that thought crossed his mind, he would enter a depression, ashamed by his cowardice and selfishness. He was too upset to live, and too afraid to die. So his existence became something in between life and death, where he would wallow in his misery, the only emotion he seemed to have left.

Today, Lois decided that she would pay Clark a visit. Even though they were living in the same house, they didn't see each other anymore. Clark spent his days in the bedroom, Lois on the couch downstairs. It wasn't that they didn't want to see each other--quite the contrary; they longed for each other's comfort and embrace, as though it would somehow make everything all better. So she walked upstairs for the first time in a week, and knocked on the door to Clark's room.

There was no answer.

She decided that she needed to get Clark out of this. She needed to get him to do _something_ other than mope. Moping wasn't getting him anywhere. She wanted the old Clark back--always proactive and ready for action. She barged into his room, and found him lying on his bed, facing the ceiling. His eyes were open, but he didn't look to see who had entered. He didn't care. Lois wanted to pity him, but she couldn't any longer. Pity wouldn't help him, but getting him off his farm boy butt _would_. Her father had done the same thing to her when she was a child. If she ever got mopey, he'd slap her bottom and tell her to go take a jog around the neighborhood. She didn't plan to slap Clark on the bottom (but, oh, how she wanted to) but she was going to get him up and running around.

"That's it, Smallville, snap out of it." She said, not entirely harshly, but she was definitely stern. "It's been 3 weeks, and you haven't left this room once. Have you even showered?"

He didn't answer her.

"Wake up, Smallville! You're useless just lying around. We have things to do."

"What's the point, Lois?" Clark whispered. Lois strained to hear him. "There's nothing we can do. I know you're trying to help..." He began. Suddenly, he broke into laughter. He was tearing up and clutching his stomach, all the while laughing like a lunatic. "But what can _you_ possibly do? He's invincible, and you're only human..." The way Clark emphasized "human," coupled with his uncontrollable laughter, scared Lois. Clark was openly putting humanity down. She feared that he'd emotionally disconnected himself from the human race entirely.

"We can try," Lois replied weakly. She was at a bit of a loss for words. Clark's reaction was worse than she'd expected (and what's she'd expected was pretty bad to begin with.

Clark's laughter ceased for a second, as Lois spoke, but upon hearing her words, it started up again. Harder than ever. "We can _try_? Please..."

"CLARK KENT! QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF AND GET THE HELL UP OFF YOUR FARM BOY ASS!!" Lois shouted, not even letting Clark finish his retort. She'd had enough of his brooding. "You're sitting there, freakin useless, while you should be up and finding away to get us the hell out of here!"

"Now what, Lois? You're gonna hate me, too? I already know Lucy's not too fond of me, but know--" Here came the laughter again..."You're up here ragging on me? Unbelievable! Do you KNOW what all of this is doing to me? You have no goddamn idea! I'm the one who's destiny's royally fcked up, not you! You're just a spectator! I'm LIVING this! I can't SLEEP, Lois! If I do, Kal comes along and tortures me! I can't go outside 'cuz EVERYONE on this godforsaken planet knows who I am! There's nothing I can do!"

The laughter ceased, and the tears came. Lois sat down on Clark's bed, and attempted to put her arm around him. He flinched at her touch and got up off the bed. His back was facing Lois.

"Well, at least I got you standing." Lois muttered as Clark simultaneously whispered something that Lois couldn't quite make out, but sounded like "I'm a monster."

"What if I told you that I have a plan?" Lois said on a whim. She really didn't, but at this point she just wanted Clark to get out of his room. "I think it might work, but I need you to help me out with it."

This caught Clark's attention. He turned around to face Lois. For the first time, she got a good look of his face. The area around his eyes was matted with dried tears, the lines from which ran down his cheekbones to his jaw. His eyes were red and swollen, his eyelids drooping over them in exhaustion. But curiosity ran across his features, and Lois decided to go with her lie.

"Yeah, I have a plan. But I need your help. You're better with details than I am; you know I have absolutely no patience whatsoever. I'll tell you my plan, if you promise to get out of this room and get back to your life. You're no use when your mopey."

Lois swore she saw Clark lip tremble as though he was trying to smile, but the motion as so quick she couldn't be sure. "I guess you're right. Go take a shower and meet me in the loft. You need some fresh air." Lois ordered. Clark smiled for the first time in weeks, and sped into the bathroom to take a quick shower. When he reappeared, he sported some jeans and the fresh red plaid flannel shirt that he'd been wearing when they left 2006.

_He's back..._  
Dinner that night was the first semi-normal meal Lucy, Lois and Clark had enjoyed in weeks, and it was a welcome change. Clark left to do the dishes, having been outvoted by Lois and Lucy to do the chore. Meanwhile, Lucy interrupted Lois, who had been busy detailing the finer points of investigative journalism.

"Uh, Lois? Not that this isn't _riveting_ and all, but we really need to talk."

Lois stopped bitterly. She'd just gotten to the good part. "OK, shoot."

"I have a plan." No further explanation was needed. Lois knew what Lucy meant.

"That's actually what Clark and I were working on today."

"Well stop working on it."

"What?" Lois didn't understand.

"If you tell Clark _anything_, it automatically goes back to Kal-El." Lucy informed her.

"But how is that possible? Is Clark bugged?"

"No. Well, yes, sort of. All of Clark's memories immediately become Kal's memories. They're the same person, remember? They share a past. THIS past. And anything you planned today just went back to headquarters."

"Oh ."

" 'Oh ' is right. You've gotta scrap anything you did with him, and make sure not to tell him anything. ANYTHING, Lois, do you understand?"

Lois nodded. "But, planning is the only thing keeping Clark up and around. I can't shut him out completely, he'll go straight back to where he was..."

Lucy pondered this complication. And, although Lucy was the wiser of the two ladies, Lois came up with a solution first.

"We tell him a fake plan."

"Go on..."

"That way, he still thinks he's involved, and we trick Kal with a phony operation." Suddenly, ideas came a mile a minute. "We can work while he sleeps! So he'll have no idea! And I can feed Clark false info, like dates and stuff, so we throw Kal off! And we'll all work together, so they don't get suspicious!" Lois rattled off her game plan without hesitation. She stopped immediately, though, as she heard Clark shut off the sink. He walked into the room just as Lois shut her mouth. Neither of the women would mention their discussion for the rest of the night, but they couldn't stop thinking about it.

And deep down inside, Lucy was proud. Lois was no longer the helpless little flower, lost in the future, relying completely on her older self for help. No, she was taking charge. She was, finally, growing up.


	20. Break In

**Chapter 20: Break In**

_One week later_

Clark was finally asleep.

They didn't have much time.

Lois lied silently in her bed, next to Clark, who was sleeping on a cot that Lucy pinched from a secondhand shop. Lois was completely still, her eyes watching Clark intently, studying the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. The pain would come soon; the torture would begin once again, as it always did when Clark slept. But Clark had reached his breaking point, and decided that, no matter how much torture Kal-El put him through, he needed to close his eyes and (sort of) rest.

Suddenly, Lois heard her signal.

A single snore released from Clark's open mouth. Then another. He was finally asleep.

Lois slid out of her blanket, not breathing, not blinking, her body stiff as a board. She didn't dare sit up on the bed, as it creaked with even the most subtle of movements. So she rolled onto the ground, her arms breaking the fall with a weak thud. She sprang onto her feet, and tiptoed out the door.

She couldn't wake Clark up. It was literally a matter of life and death.

Lois and Lucy had devised their plan in a surprisingly short amount of time. Lois couldn't remember the last time she'd slept: Between plotting one plan with Lucy and another with Clark (the latter being the biggest farce Lois could come up with, just to throw Kal off the trail. It isn't worth a detailed explanation, but some of its finer points involved a rake and Clark posing as a woman) Lois was extremely tired. But the extra effort was worth it. Lois knew that, as meaningless as their plotting was, it was the only thing keeping Clark alive right now.

"Lucy…he's down." Lois announced once she reached the foot of the stairs.

"Good girl, Lois. Now come on, we have to get you into your disguise."

"Wait a minute….I don't remember a _disguise_ in our plan. Heavy weaponry, yes, but no disguises." Lois commented.

Lucy smiled. "That plan's down the tube, Lois."

"What! But we worked so hard on all this!"

"I know, I know…but I also know a thing or two about human nature. And I know that, if I told you the real plan, you'd spill a tidbit of information to Clark subconsciously, and everything would go to hell. It happens all the time, Lois, don't feel bad."

"You didn't trust me?" Lois frowned. "I'd never tell Clark!"

"Maybe. But you're a kid, and tactically dumb as a post. You'll gain that discipline with age, but for now, no, I don't trust you." Lucy replied. She knew Lois better than Lois knew herself, and she knew that Lois had a nasty little habit of not thinking before she opened her mouth. Lois didn't protest—even she knew she had a perpetual case of verbal diarrhea, but was still ticked that Lucy had left her out of the loop.

"First of all, how do you feel about going blonde?"

"Uhh, why?"

Just then, Lucy pulled a box of hair dye out of her purse. "It's called 'Sunburst Shimmer'. I think it'll go quite nicely with your skin tone, don't you?"

Lois clenched her teeth. "I hate you."

"It gets worse, hon."

Lucy retreated to the closet, where she immediately began rummaging through dozens of identical uniforms, and pulled out a seemingly inconspicuous looking jumpsuit. "I hope you haven't gotten too rusty at that strip tease."

"Of course not! Wait, what?"

Lucy turned the jumpsuit over, revealing a bright red, transparent fabric cut into the national symbol that customarily resided on the chest, usually in a white, opaque fabric. It left the wearer completely exposed.

"What on earth is that?"

"Congratulations, Lois. Tonight, you are Kal-El's personal entertainment for the evening."

Lois' face dropped into a look of sheer disgust. "Why couldn't we go with the plan where I cut Kal's head off with a laser-scythe?"

"Because this is fool proof…he won't be able to resist you. Trust me." Lucy winked. Lois shivered.

"Why on earth do you even have that thing?"

"I was married for ten years, legally. I had to keep things interesting somehow." Lucy giggled.

"You are a sick, sick woman."

* * *

An hour later, Lois was standing in front, nervously masking her exposed chest with one hand and twirling her newly blond locks with the other. She was freezing her butt off, and hoped that the real girl Kal-El was expected would show up soon. The NEW plan had been explained to Lois in the car. She was to knock the girl out, and use the service entrance to get into Kal-El's room. Lucy was convinced that Kal wouldn't notice the difference. Lois was just a bit depressed that she was, at least for the evening, a dime store hooker.

"Congratulations, Lane. You are officially a bimbo." She muttered to herself.

Then she saw her target. She was a young redhead, maybe 17 or 18, looking a bit scared. Lois waited until the girl had her back to her, and attacked.

* * *

Kal-El was growing impatient. His 'entertainment' should have been up 10 minutes ago. Who would dare be late for something concerning the emperor? He looked at his watch every few seconds, itching for some fun. 

Suddenly, his intercom crackled to life. "Emperor, there's a young lady here to see you."

_Finally._ "Send her in."

It took less than a minute for Lois to reach Kal-El's room. Her heart was beating through her chest, and her legs trembled beneath her. _If he realizes who I am…I'm a dead man…woman...whatever..._

The massive gold doors swung open, an anxious looking Kal standing in the doorway. But impatience was immediately replaced with…_shock._

Lois realized the look of surprise on the emperor's face, and a wry smile formed on her lips. _He may be a big shot dictator, but Smallville still trembles at the sight of a little skin…_

Kal couldn't believe his eyes. The girl looked so much like Lois, it was uncanny. But Kal didn't want to alarm the girl…he could be wrong, after all, and scare her away.

"Uh, yes, come in."

Lois didn't know what to say. She knew that, while her appearance might have thrown him off a little bit, he would surely recognize her voice if she spoke. So she did the only thing that came to mind. She kissed him.


	21. Attack

**WORDS!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!! **

**Anybody ever hear the song "on mercury"? It's pepping me up waaaay too much... **

* * *

**Chapter 21- Attack**Lois and Kal-El held the kiss for only a few seconds, but to Lois it felt like a lifetime and more. She was repulsed to a point she never thought she could reach, a point that she never wanted to reach again.

_You can do this, Lane…just pretend this is Clark you're kissing, not a psychopathic alien bent on galactic domination...Oh my God I'm gonna throw up...No! I have to keep my cover! If he finds out who I am, I'm dead meat…_

And worse, if he kills me, I'll never get a chance to do this with the real_ Clark!_

Kal-El was apparently buying the act. For him, the kiss should have gone on for ever. _Oh god, imagine if this was actually Lois!_

But, even once they broke they kiss, Lois knew that the worst wasn't anywhere _near_ over. She knew perfectly well why she was there, but couldn't even pretend to be happy about it.

Lucy had explained the _real_ plan to Lois when they were driving to the palace. Lucy was a little paranoid, and wanted to make sure they were out of earshot of the sleeping Clark before she gave her the full details, just to be safe. The plan was pretty simple (and, much to Lois' dismay, completely devoid of any heavy weaponry whatsoever) but would take some serious acting skills to pull it off.

Lois would go in, try to postpone doing the nasty with Kal as long as possible, and use the kryptonite torture device that was once in Clark's shoulder to disable Kal-El long enough to give him a 100 Lane certified ass-whooping. How was she going to sneak the kryptonite in, you ask? A little lead here, a little strategic tucking there, and Voilà! Killer hair barrette.

But, for now, Lois was doing her very best to keep her lunch _inside_ her stomach as Kal slowly backed her into a wall, running his hands along her back, tracing his fingers up her spine until he made contact with her jumpsuit's zipper. Lois shivered at his touch…it was a total violation and she wanted nothing more than for him to stop.

_Just remember why you're doing this, Lois…the fate of the world depends on you…_

He fingered the zipper with one hand, and placed the other on her lower back, a bit too close to a place that Lois wasn't at all comfortable with Kal touching.

_Chloe, Mrs. Kent, the entire universe is relying on you…_

He tugged the zipper gently, sending its slots apart, inch by agonizing inch, taking his time to savor the moment, to breathe in Lois' essence, to taste every inch of her body... In Kal-El's mind, she was Lois, the Lois he'd fallen in love with so many years ago, the Lois he'd lost, the Lois he wanted more than anything

_Do this for Clark, Lois…for Clark…_

At last the zipper came free, and Kal slid his hands into the gap it had created, and pulled the fabric off Lois' shoulders. And it didn't stop there.

_Please…stop._

An eternity later, Lois was stripped of the only shield she had against Kal's insatiable thirst. But she didn't hold her head down; rather, she looked straight into the emperor's eyes, while her hands, seeming to move of their own volition, reached for the zipper on the emperor's own back, slowly removing his jumpsuit, leaving him in nothing more than a thick silver belt that was wrapped around the emperor's waist. What exactly such a nice belt was doing _inside_ his clothing was something Lois couldn't quite understand. Truthfully, she was more concerned with keeping her eyes off Clark Jr. (Or Kal Jr., really.) than psychoanalyzing Kal-El's dressing habits.

Things started to move faster. Kal had Lois pinned on his bed before she knew what hit her. He pushed his lips against hers, eyes closed and heart pounding through his chest. It had been so long since he'd been with a woman quite this, so much like Lois in every single way.

Lois kept her eyes open the entire time. As much as she tried to convince herself that this man was Clark (albeit a more evil, controlling version of Clark), she couldn't possible enjoy what Kal was doing to her. She needed to end it now.

Then her eyes fell on the belt once more.

It had slid off Kal's waist, and Lois couldn't help but the raw skin peeping out, on Kal-El's side. Her brain cried 'foul play,' and, being naturally nosy, Lois strategically slid her hand onto the belt, and edged it off the raw skin. What she saw sent her stomach into backflips. The wound was about an inch thick, and rather deep from what Lois could tell. It was torn and purple on the inside, and oozed a thick green puss.

Lois grinned. She'd found his weak spot.

She edged away from the belt, and took her hand upward until she reached the nape of her neck. She loosed the miniscule kryptonite capsule from her hair, still in the throws of passion with Kal, and did the only thing she could manage,

She removed the led casing, and shoved the capsule into the wound.

Kal screamed in agony, a primordial scream that seemed to shake the entire building. Lois dug her hand further and further into the hole, her fingers touching Kal-El's very insides, twisting and mutilating the already damaged area.

But, unfortunately for Lois, she didn't weaken Kal quite enough. He grabbed Lois' wrist and, in one motion, threw her across the room, sending her flying into the wall, accompanied by the sickening crack of her bones splitting. Lois trembled, and held up her mangled arm. Her arm was severly damaged, bone splinters sticking out of her lower arm and her hand twisted at an unnatural angle. Her hand was soaked in blood and coated with flesh that was not her own. But there was something noticeably absent that she wanted to make sure Kal-El saw.

The kryptonite was no longer in her hand. Instead, it rested deep in the emperor's side.

Kal's eyes were on fire. He staggered over to Lois, who was smiling like a madman, and used whatever strength he had left in his rapidly deteriorating body to pick Lois up by the neck, and shove her against the wall.

"Fucker!" He growled. But his words fell on deaf ears. Lois was out cold. He dropped her body onto the floor like a rag.

Kal-El watched the girl, lying limp on the floor. She was beautiful, and he wanted her so badly. Every last bit. She was his long lost love, reincarnated.

It was too bad, really, that he would have to kill her.

He raised his hand to deliver the final blow, when a stabbing pain shot through his left side.

_But wait…the puncture is on my right side…_

He turned his head, and gasped. There, standing in a floral nightgown with a bloody knife at her side was an enraged Lucy Lane Kent.

Kal looked down. Blood was gushing out of the new wound much too fast for his comfort. The pain became too much for him to bear any longer, and he fell into darkness. His body lay crumpled on the floor, next to the very girl he himself had almost destroyed. His carpet was saturated with his blood, spreading in a stream toward Lucy's feet.

Lucy turned her eyes to Lois, naked, bloody, and lying limp on the floor. Sorrow welled up inside of her, knowing full well that such a young girl shouldn't have to be put in this kind of situation. But sorrow was replaced with anger when Lucy heard the emergency sirens go off in the building. Security must have heard Kal's screams. She didn't have much time…she needed to get these two out of the building before she was arrested. But before she went anywhere, she swore under her breath at the wounded emperor before her.

"Rot in hell, scumbag." 


	22. The Kill, Part I

**Thanks for all your reviews, guys! (They are my lifeblood, to be melodramatic)**

**This was actually the 1st chapter I wrote. But I'm glad I'm sticking it in the middle instead (imagine how confused everybody would be...then again, I think everyone is confused to begin with...)**

**ANYWAY...enjoy!!!**

* * *

**  
Chapter 22: The Kill, Part I**

Lois' POV:

_I'm sitting on a cloud._

_My entire body is weightless, allowing me to sit on the fluffy cumulous marshmallow suspended in the sky. It's rather windy up here. I tie my hair back so it stays out of my face, place my trusty notebook on my lap, and look over my resume for the_ Daily Planet…

_After all, I have an interview this afternoon._

_All of the sudden, someone calls out to me. I look up from my work to see who it is who could possible reach me up here._

_Then I see him…_

_I smile at my true love, who is floating, carefree, between the clouds. He isn't wearing flannel, surprisingly, but a rather nice tuxedo that suits his chiseled body extremely well. He is absolutely gorgeous. He is a god among men._

_And he is all mine._

_He lands on my cloud, smiling in the goofy farm boy way that melts my heart into a pile of mush. I want to kiss him so badly. I want to kiss him, and only him, and never stop until the end of the universe…_

_Suddenly, he pulls out a ring._

_"Lois, I love you…" he says to me. My heart jumps out of my chest._

_"I love you too, Clark…"_

_I can't believe this is true. He places the band on my finger, and leans in to kiss me. And it is the most passionate kiss I've ever felt. I am in love with this man. I never want to leave him._

_Then he pulls away (much to my dismay, might I add)._

_"What's wrong, honey?" I say, my eyes still closed. There is no response. I ask him again. But his only reply is a cold, sinister laugh. I throw my eyes open, and am shocked by what I see._

_The man sitting in front of me is no longer Clark. It's an older man, with salt and pepper hair and blackest eyes she's ever seen. His eyes are like black holes, consuming everything in their vicinity with hatred and destruction. His face is wrinkled and angry, contorted into a frightening smile._

_I scream bloody murder, but he muffles me by pushing his slimy, putrid lips against my own._

* * *

"Lois! Lois, honey, snap out of it!"

Lois woke up in a cold sweat. It had been such a good dream, until that man showed up. _But who the hell was he? I can't remember anything about him…except those eyes…_

She looked around, examining her surroundings. They were in Lucy's car, parked on the side of a secluded highway in the middle of the countryside. It was pouring rain outside, the mist creating an eerie glow over the city of Metropolis, which sat on the horizon, perpetually lit by the orange streetlights that lined its crowded sidewalks. Bolts of lightning pierced the sky in rapid succession, illuminating it in an icy blue.

"Lucy?" Lois whispered weakly. Then Lois remembered everything that had happened that night, and couldn't keep the tears from falling from her eyes.

Lucy took the broken girl and held her in her arms. "Sshhh, sweetie…it's alright now. He'll never hurt you again. I promise."

But Lois couldn't stop bawling. She had been violated in the worst way possible, and as far as she was concerned, it wasn't alright. Nothing would ever be 'alright' again.

It took a few minutes, but Lucy eventually calmed Lois down enough for her to stop crying. Lucy felt that Lois was finally stable enough that she could start driving back to the farm. She'd stopped when Lois started screaming, only because the scare it gave her caused her to nearly crash into a tree. She was dying to get back on the road. After all, one has to move quickly when carting around the body of the half-dead emperor in your back seat.

The rare moment of silence in the car was interrupted by a sputtering cough coming from the backseat. Lois turned around, and saw the emperor, bloody and battered, lying on the back seat of the car. He was spitting up blood onto the sheet that Lucy had put over him, to cover up his body from passerby.

Lois started screaming again. She tried to unlock the car door to run away, but was met with a piercing pain in her arm, which only fed her terror more. She looked at her arm to find the source of the pain, and nearly fainted when she saw the severe injury she had sustained, bone splintering through the skin of her wrist. She looked down at her naked form, and saw purplish bruises on her legs and arms, and noticed a gash on her lower abdomen from when she was thrown across the room, extending from her belly button to her hip. It was deep and bloody

Lois couldn't take anymore. She started shaking madly, rocking back and forth in her seat, trying to wake up from her nightmare. The tears started flooding again as Lois vomited all over herself in terror, before she passed out once again.

* * *

Clark's POV:

_I walk through a large pasture, and see a canary yellow house in the distance. It sits on a slight incline so that it rises above everything else in its view. The shutters are painted bright red, a color my mom used to say livened up the house on dreary days. But today there are only puffy white clouds and a blue watercolor sky for miles and miles._

_I smile because I'm home again._

_I stretch out my arms toward the sky, grasping at the intangible air, feeling every muscle in by body twitch with a feeling of absolute freedom, a euphoria that I've rarely felt before, except for those rare and priceless times that I take flight, when the universe is aligned in my favor that I may rise up into infinity, soaring over the clouds without any worries to hold me down. And inch by inch, I rise up into the sky, moving closer and closer to the sun that, today, unobstructed and unceasing, shines its rays on every bit of earth and grass. Its energy courses through my veins, flooding me with strength._

_And there she is._

_She sits on a cloud, her legs crossed in their usual fashion, her hair gathered in a lose ponytail on the back of her neck. Her head is buried in a notebook; a pen rests above her ear. She is wearing a wedding gown._

_I fly to her, noticing that my flannel shirt had been replaced with a crisp suit, and that grasped in my outstretched hands are two golden wedding bands._

_She looks up and spots me. Then she smiles. She says something I can't quite hear. I move closer to her, until I am resting on that cloud with her. I show her the rings._

_"Lois, I love you."_

_"I love you too, Kal-El."_

_I don't hear the last word she says, but what does it matter? I slip the ring onto her finger, and applause erupts around me. I look around, and see my parents smiling brightly in the distance. Chloe and Lana are there…even Pete managed to show up. They clap and whistle as I turn to kiss my bride._

_But Lois puts a hand in front of my puckered lips._

_"What's wrong, honey?" Lois says to me. I look at her strangely. What could possibly be wrong? I tell her this, but no sound comes out of my mouth. She asks me again. "What's wrong?" I shout and yell and scream, but the only sound that I hear is a cruel laugh. Lois begins to tremble as tears fall from her eyes. She points a shaking hand at my chest. I look down, and gasp. The symbol of the House of El is branded into my bare skin, as it was so many years before, when I was only a teenager. I try to claw at the scar, but my hands don't move. They've become as heavy as lead. I try to flail my legs, but I've lost control over them. Somebody is inside my body, controlling my every move, and I can't fight them._

_I fall off my cloud, and the last thing I see is Kal-El of Krypton, kissing my bride._

* * *

Clark woke up with a start. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, his hands on his chest, trying to claw at the horrible scar. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt only smooth and unmarred skin. _It was just a bad dream._

But his relief would not last long.

A cry rang out from the barn. Clark immediately identified the voice as Lois' (or Lucy's…it was quite hard to tell whose was whose). Clark jumped out of bed and sped straight to the sound of the scream.

What he saw would haunt him for years to come.

Lois was lying in one corner, an absolute mess, while Lucy was busy dressing her wounds. Clark didn't recognize Lois at first (she was still blonde, after all). In the other corner was Kal-El, tied to a post, with a horrible bloody hole in his side. He lifted his head slightly, and winked at his younger self.

Clark's eyes blazed red. "What the hell is going on here?"

Every head in the room turned Clark's way. And all of them were afraid. Clark's fists were tight, his teeth clenched, and his eyes on fire in a fit of rage that nobody, not even Kal, knew he was capable of.

"Clark…I'm sorry" Lois sputtered. "But we had to do something…"

"Lois? Is-is that you?"

"I love you, Clark. That's why I had to do this…"

Clark didn't answer her, but the fire in his eyes died with the sound of Lois' pain filled voice. He ran over to her, pushing Lucy out of the way in the process. "What happened to her?" He asked Lucy. When she didn't answer, his anger returned. "WHAT HAPPENED?"

Lucy stammered. "I-I can't say…her arms pretty messed up, and I don't know if she sustained any internal bleeding. You should check her out," She responded timidly, implying that Clark should X-Ray Lois' body.

He scanned her quickly, and let out a sigh of relief. "No…no she's fine. But her arm—it looks like a pretty severe break. I'd set the bone, but it's through the skin. She needs to see a doctor."

A bout of heartless laughter erupted out of the, until presently, forgotten resident in the Kent barn. It was Kal-El, who was cackling weakly at the sight before him.

"You—you are so _pathetic_…You sent your girlfriend to fight me! What are you, too much of a wimp to face me yourself? Come on, Clark, finish me off! Be a man, for once in your godforsaken life!"

Clark walked over to Kal, and looked him straight in the eye. "Did you do this to her?"

His only answer was a weak laugh, before Kal-El fell into a coughing fit. Clark made the disgusting observation that when Kal coughed, blood would spurt out of the wound on his side in a little fountain. He was impressed. _Lois must have given him a hell of a fight._

Clark, fuming, delivered a swift kick to Kal's injured side. The emperor shrieked in agony.

Lois cried when she saw this. "Clark! Stop it!"

Clark turned around to face her. "Look what he's done to you, Lois!" He turned back to Kal-El. "He deserves to die!" He raised his hand, about to smash the emperor's head to pieces.

"No! You're not a killer!" Lois screamed. Clark's turned back to Lois, his hand trembling in indecision "You're a good man, Clark. The Clark I love would never _murder_ someone no matter who they were!"

"He's killed so many people…I can end all of this right now…"

"Clark...if you kill him, you're only sinking to his level. You say that you'll never become like him, and I believed you, but…but if you're capable of killing, then maybe I was wrong about you."

Clark didn't know what to do. He wanted to kill Kal-El, and couldn't understand why on earth Lois would be protecting the man who had hurt her so badly. But was he really capable of killing somebody?

He stood stiff as a board, his arm still clenched in a fist, ready to strike, but his arm relaxed slightly with Lois' words. For a second, Lois was almost sure that Clark would calm down and spare Kal-El, at least until they got some information out of him. The uncertainty in Clark's eyes and stance allowed the occupants of the room to breathe for the first time in minutes.

So, naturally, everyone was startled when Clark let his fist crash down, using every ounce of strength in his body to propel it forward at the defenseless target before him.


	23. The Kill, Part II

**Thank you to all my reviewers! (and you silent readers...I, too, am guilty of that...)**

**ENJOY ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 23: The Kill, Part II**

Splintered wood and paint flew across the barn in a cloud of debris, the entire room reeling from the impact of Clark's fist on the wooden beam. But noticeably absent from the rubble were the blood and guts of a certain dictator.

Clark had missed.

His fist made impact a centimeter away from the top of the Kal-El's scalp. Sure, Clark could have killed the emperor if he wanted to, but he decided to spare him, at least for the time being. His decision to let the emperor live was not at all an act of kindness, but entirely a tactical move. After all, what good was it having the most powerful man in the universe in your clutches, if you couldn't get any useful information out of him?

Clark glared at Kal, who, not about to be outdone, made a point to glare right back. Kal wasn't one for showing weakness, under any circumstances.

"There's one thing that's been eating away at me since I came to this place" Clark began. "Why would _big-shot Kal-El_ need to bring me and Lois here, when everything up to that moment had been going just fine?"

The interrogation had begun.

"I get the whole 'wanting to train me' bit, but why bother? Things seemed to be going fairly well for you…" Clark stopped and chuckled. "Until now…"

Kal-El did not respond. Clark grabbed him by the roots of his hair, and asked the question again. "You're gonna start speaking up, or I'm gonna have to persuade you by other…more painful means."

In the background were Lois and Lucy, watching intently as their once seemingly-innocent farm boy was displaying traits that neither of them knew existed in him.

…traits that were suspiciously like Kal-El's.

Lois shuddered. _Who are you becoming, Clark?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a scream of pain on the other side of the room. Clark had delivered another kick to Kal's side. The emperor was limp, sitting upright only because of the rope that tied him to the wooden pole.

"You…you couldn't stop him...even if I told you," said Kal.

This peaked Clark's interest. "Him? Well, now we're getting somewhere. I'm gonna get it out of you, Kal, if it takes us all night. So why not make things go a little faster and tell the class who exactly you're referring to?"

Kal-El fell silent. Clark kicked him again, harder than before.

"I DON'T KNOW WHO THE HELL HE IS!" The emperor cried. He couldn't take the pain anymore…

"I think you're lying…" said Clark, ready to strike again.

"NO! I-I was in the fortress…and I was stabbed…"

"Bullshit, Mr. Invincible…" Lucy interjected. She was getting restless with the sluggish pace of the questioning, not to mention the fact that she wanted to join in the fun. After all, she was still Lois, and lord knows Lois needs to say everything that crossed her mind, or else her brain would explode…

"SHUT IT, LUCY!" Clark shouted at the top of his lungs. He wasn't about to take any backseat interrogation from that _woman_, and couldn't help but think how nice it would feel to incinerate her head right then and there…

_What are you talking about, Clark? Are you crazy?_

Oh my god, what's happening to me?

"Uh, Lucy?" Clark said mildly. "I-I think you should take over…" Clark was done for the night. He was now completely terrified of himself. Why was he suddenly so angry? What was going on?

_Maybe I'm just tired…I'll go rest while Lucy finishes up with Kal…_

So he retreated to Lois' side. She was still lying on the ground, her arm in a makeshift sling, courtesy of Lucy, that elevated the arm and would provide enough protection until she could see a doctor. Lois smiled as Clark sat by her side. She nestled her head in his chest, as he stroked her hair affectionately.

_It's just like my dream… _Lois thought. _Only I'm in a lot more pain and Clark is going schizo…but I'll take what I can get._

Back to reality. Lucy made her way over to Kal-El, and began her own questioning. "So, what were you saying about a stabbing? I want details, Smallville…the who's, what's, where's, when's, and why's…"

"Smallville? You realize that you haven't called me that in years…" Kal said, smiling playfully at his ex-wife.

"Force of habit…what can I say? Old habits die hard. Even when you're a psychopath you still have that goofy farm boy look about you…" She rolled her eyes.

"Well, Lucy, since you've been so sweet to me, you've persuaded me to give you all the nitty-gritty details."

"What the hell happened to you, Clark?" Lucy was wasting no time at all.

"Now let's not get too familiar. It's still Kal-El to you…"

_Prick…_ Lucy thought to herself.

"It was the second and twenty of the sixth month, Year of our Lord two thousand ten and six—" Kal droned on, clearly trying to bust Lucy's chops. He wasn't going to make any of this easy for her…

"Uh…could we try to finish this before the next _millennium?_" Lucy sighed.

Kal snickered. "June 22nd, 2016. Such a long, _long_ time ago…can you believe it's been almost 40 years since I took power? But back on topic…I was in the fortress, brooding in the pathetic way that I used to. It was early, maybe 4 or 5 in the morning…And the next thing I knew, I was on the floor, a knife sticking out of my back. Not exactly a great way to start the day, trust me…

"From that moment on, everything was different. I _finally_ realized that, well, I'm the most powerful being on this planet, so why was I living my life in anonymity? A servant to these pathetic humans, always cleaning up their messes for them? That _fool_ Jor-El tried to stop me, tried to keep me from my _true_ destiny…He fed me that same old bullshit…'You're meant to be a savior, Kal-El…Fly around in a stupid cape and rescue puppies from trees, Kal-El…Be the human's lap dog, Kal-El, or I'll kill some more of your friends and family, just for kicks!' As if _thatI could persuade me to go back to the way I was!!!"_

Kal was shouting at full voice now. Lois and Clark, frightened by this sudden revelation, were watching, stunned, as the emperor ranted and raved.

Lucy remained somewhat collected, but was, strangely enough, not exactly paying attention to anything the emperor was saying, despite the gravity of his revelation. He was recounting the story she'd longed to hear for 40 years now, the very story of how Clark Kent, her one true love, turned into a monster…

But she had something else on her mind…

ThisI something was a piercing pain that shot up like knives through her right arm, followed by a residual numbness. She shook it off, but she was still wary of why the pain had come so suddenly and so severely.

"So you know what I did to him?" Kal-El continued, all fired up now. He began laughing uncontrollably, before he was overcome by a massive coughing fit. He clenched his teeth and trudged on.

"I _destroyed_ Jor-El…and did it feel good! I smashed that goddamned fortress to the ground. And the rest is history."

Lucy snapped back to reality. "Yeah, uh…." She was at a loss for words. Something was wrong with her, and was concerning her much more than Kal's words. She felt herself fading fast.

"Where do you keep the time machines?" Lois interjected. She could sense that something was up with Lucy, who was not responding, and wanted to get as much information out of Kal-El as she could, while he was still so unusually talkative.

"The Palace, naturally."

"Care to give us any details?" Clark asked.

"You're a smart boy…find them yourself…" Kal-El sputtered. His breathing was becoming shallower and shallower, as the blood kept draining out of his system. He was feeling a bit lightheaded. _Perhaps I got a bit too fired up back there…_ "That's all I can give you, Clarky…take it or leave it…"

Clark pondered everything the emperor had told him. "Come on, Lois…let's get to the palace while we can…we can always come back later if it turns out he's led us to a dead end…" Clark directed his next statement at Kal. "Although, for _his_ sake, I hope he didn't lie to us."

_I didn't lie…much… _the emperor thought to himself.

Clark lifted Lois gently off the ground, careful not to aggravate her damaged arm. She was feeling much better already (although the two-inch piece of bone sticking out of her wrist kept her from feeling 100 percent). She stood up, Clark still holding on to her hand like a piece of glass that would shatter if he let go. "I'm okay, Smallville…you can let go of my arm now," gesturing toward the hand that Clark had gently clasped in his own. He jerked his arm away and blushed at the contact.

Lois shook the dirt and grime off her body. "I think I should get some clothes first…"

Before she knew it, Clark had disappeared and reappeared, a spare black jumpsuit in his hand. "Go put this on. I'll be waiting outside."

Lois limped off, leaving Clark, Lucy, and Kal alone in the barn.

"I've got to go, Lucy. I'll miss you," Clark said, with genuine sadness in his voice. "I don't think we could have gotten this far without you."

"Oh, don't get all sappy about it." Lucy snapped. "The _real_ me is waiting for you to meet her outside, so you can whisk her back to her old life. She's the one who loves you, Clark, more than heaven and earth. Never forget that. Take care of yourself, Smallville…"

Clark nodded, and was gone in a flash…

Lucy was doing her best to hold back the lump forming in her throat as Clark ran away. The love of her life was gone forever…all she had left was a shell of who he once was, sitting at her feet and bleeding to death.

She'd wanted so badly to run to Clark, to kiss him one last time. But she knew well that she could never do that…it just wasn't in the cards for her. She was doomed to die a lonely, bitter old woman. Her life was over.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a blinding pain in her chest. She gritted her teeth, hoping for the pain to subside. Deep down inside, though, she knew she was dying. It was only a matter of time.

_But if I have to die…let me at least go down fighting…Even if I can't save myself, I can save the world from an eternity of his rule..._

I can avenge my children...

"You're having a heart attack, you know…"

Lucy looked down at the emperor, whom she noticed was staring intently at her chest. "Yep…" he sighed. "Little by little, your heart is slowing down…bet you wished you hadn't eaten so much bacon throughout your life, don't you? Yes, there goes one atrium, two atrium…" he said in a sickeningly taunting sing-song voice.

"I could say the same for you," Lucy whispered hoarsely, finding it harder and harder to breathe. Her skin had paled considerably, her breathing was strained, and her vision was blurring. "You've lost too much blood."

Kal-El sighed. "Looks like this'll be the last night for both of us…"

Lucy staggered over to the other side of the barn, to the area where she kept her tools, a plan forming in her mind. She sifted through the clutter, pushing aside troughs and shovels, knowing exactly what she was looking for. Then, as if by magic, her hands found the smooth, streamlined piece of metal at the bottom of the pile. She put her hands around the tool delicately, savoring the essence of the seemingly usual gardening instrument which, tonight, would serve a much greater purpose than common shrubbery.

Lucy pulled it out of the pile, and flashed it in the emperor's direction.

It was a dagger, rusty and worn from years of being repeatedly shoved into dirt and stems.

She strolled over to Kal, and fell on her knees, so that she was at eye level with him. Something cracked in her leg as she hit the dirt floor, but what did it matter? It wasn't a mere fracture that would kill her tonight.

"Did you actually tell those two the whole story?" She asked him, knowing that, on his deathbed, he was in no position to lie to her.

"Most of it…"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "What did you do to Clark, Kal? That man who just left here was not the same man he was, even a few days ago."

"Well, why should Lois and Clark be the only ones to have a little fun in other time periods? I _am_ the one with the time machines, after all…Let's just say I took a little vacation to my own past, and decided that some things needed an overhaul…"

"You sick bastard…"

"Yes, but I'm _your_ sick bastard…"

Kal flashed his famous Kent grin, and Lucy couldn't help but melt. She knew she was lying to herself, but, in fulfillment of her dying wish, she made herself, in her pain induced delirium, believe that the man in front of her was still the man she had fallen in love with so long ago. 

"I love you, Clark Kent…" she whispered gently in the emperor's ear.

"I love you too, Lois Lane…"

Then she kissed him, in the most fiery and intense kiss that either lover had ever felt in their lives. It was a kiss that both had waited almost half a century for, a kiss that both now realized they'd missed more than anything.

And, in one fluid motion, as her heart beat its last, Lois 'Lucy' Lane-Kent pressed the dagger against her true love's neck, never once taking her lips from his own, and mercilessly and vengefully sliced it through his flesh.


	24. Fight or Flight

**Sorry it took so long to get an update!**

**Again, thanks to all my reviewers. HUGS!**

**...OH MY GOD! AN UPDATE! It's a sign of the apocalypse! RUN!**

AND IT'S A COOL UPDATE! (well, at least I thought so.) The title gives it all away.

Not as depressing as previous chapters

** A/N: When I start talking about sound waves and stuff, my math may be a little off. Forgive me, I am but a lowly student.****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Fight or Flight**

Lois leaned against the barn, finally clothed in something other than a measly blanket, waiting impatiently for Clark to come outside. She wanted the hell out of 2056, and she wanted out now. She could faintly hear Clark talking inside the barn, but the ringing in her ears and her blinding headache prevented her from comprehending any of what he said. She felt like death warmed over. She didn't even have the energy to scream when Clark suddenly super-sped before her eyes.

"Damn it, Smallville, must you _always_ do that?" She scolded him, not angry, but impatient with him and his games. However, the second she saw his face, she knew she'd made a mistake. Clark was glaring at her, his lips tight and his breathing rapid and heavy with rage. If he stared at her with any more intensity, she would have burst into flames on the spot. Literally.

"OK, calm down tiger. You can get pissy with me on your own time. Now, you know the plan. Let's go."

"Do I, Lois? It seems like you may have forgotten to tell me the plan. _Again_."

"What are you talking about—"

"WHY DID YOU GO TAKE DOWN KAL-EL WITHOUT EVEN TELLING ME? YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! I don't even want to _know_ what the heck you did to disable him…I'll probably have a heart attack if you tell me…But why would you do something so…so STUPID?"

"Clark shut up…you're gonna wake up all of Smallville…" Lois whispered.

"Don't you realize that you could have DIED? I don't know what would do if I lost you! So you'd better give me a damn good reason why you went behind my back! AND DO NOT TELL ME TO SHUT UP!"

"Look, Clark…if I'd told you the real plan, everything would've gone straight to Kal, and everything we worked for would have gone to hell. You're him, remember? Everything you do, say, or think he knows about! It happens with Lucy and me all the time…It's like how you remember a memory from when you were a kid, that's how it works for them too. Think about it!"

Clark pondered this new bit of information for a second. It made sense, he supposed. But something was still bugging him.

"What did he do to you?"

"Nothing, Clark. Let's just not talk about this anymore."

"He broke your arm. Something happened." Clark pointed out. He needed to know what happened, what Kal—what _he himself_ did to Lois.

"Clark it was nothing…" Lois mumbled, avoiding his eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was worry Clark.

"You were naked when I saw you…" Clark said quietly. "Did he—did he…" He couldn't finish the statement. If what he thought was true…if Kal had violated Lois at all…

"No. I mean, he tried. But nothing happened." Lois answered. "Nothing at all…"

Clark's heart sank. _He tried_… "Ok, Lois…that—that's all I needed to know."

"Can we not talk about this anymore? Like _ever_?"

"OK, Lois… Lois?"

"Yeah, Smallville?"

"I'm sorry. For everything, for all of this. I'm so, so sorry, and I hope you can forgive me."

"It's not your fault, Clark. You heard what Kal said in there…that he was forced to become who he was. He didn't choose it. You're not at fault for any of this."

"Sure…"

Lois realized that Clark was going into depression-mode again. His eyes had lost their trademark sparkle; the famous Kent grin was all but hidden behind a solemn frown. But she refused to let him spiral downward again.

"Ready to hear the plan Smallville?" She announced authoritatively. It was time for action.

"Yes, Sergeant Lane."

"That's _General_ Lane to you. Kal said we had to go to the palace, right? That's where the time machines are. So we have to break in, find the time machines, figure out how they work, fire it up and pray we don't end up in the Jurassic or something…" Lois paused for a second. "You know, this plan sounded much simpler in my head."

"Don't worry, Lois. We'll figure it out."

"By the way, do you have an aspirin? I'm gonna keel over if I don't get rid of this headache."

"We'll stop by a pharmacy as soon as we get home. Can you hold out a little longer?"

"How long is 'longer?' My brain is splitting open."

"I don't know…however long it takes us to get our hands on a time machine. We should get going—damn it."

"What?"

"How are we even going to get_ inside_ the palace? They'll recognize me from the last time I was there! I can't imagine that Kal wouldn't have put his security on alert if they spotted me."

"Hold it!" Lois shouted, a bit too loud, sending a splitting pain through her skull. She put a trembling hand to her head, and continued. "I need you to run upstairs and get me some baby powder."

"Baby powder…what the heck do we need that for?" Clark asked. Lois shot him a look, and Clark got the message.

"Baby powder it is…"

He moved into super speed, and watched as the world slowly crept to a halt around him (at least for him, anyway.) Lois was standing in a rather awkward position, her good hand on her forehead and her mouth halfway open, as though she was about to make a remark about him being 'slow on the uptake' or something. Clark chuckled slightly—he knew this girl _way_ too well.

He walked at a leisurely pace (or as leisurely as one can be when moving practically at the speed of light.) But he suddenly came to a stop when he notices a piece of metal flashing in the corner of his eye, through a window on the side of the barn. He looked inside, only to see Lucy and Kal practically sucking each other's faces off.

_Eww…_

Then, looking more carefully at the sight, Clark noticed a small dagger clutched in Lucy's right hand, pressed against Kal-El's throat. Blood leaked from the wound, which was much too deep not to have done fatal damage.

_Oh my god…she killed him…_

Clark slowed down for a minute, enough so that the earth started moving again, although it was at a snail's pace. The blood rushed faster from Kal's neck. Clark switched to x-ray vision, and watched as the blood left the emperor's body at a sickening pace. He also noticed that Lucy's heart had stopped beating entirely. She wasn't moving, let alone breathing.

They were both gone.

And Clark couldn't help but smile.

A cold, sadistic smile, offsetting the sadness he felt in his heart over Lucy's death. On the other hand, he felt a sick sense of retribution, seeing Lucy this way. After all, she killed Kal mercilessly, why should she deserve to live when such a great man, greater than any other on this mud planet, was struck down by her own hands?

_Wait…what the heck was that? Kal was a monster…he almost killed Lois and me! Something's seriously wrong with me…_

"I need to get the hell out of here…"

Clark sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could, just to get away from the morbid scene in the barn. As he grabbed the baby powder from Lucy's bathroom, he decided that he didn't need to tell Lois about what she saw. The last thing he needed was for her to get upset…She'd gone through enough tonight.

Clark reappeared in a flash in front of Lois. He was a bit jittery, but his nervousness was so subtle that no human being could notice it.

"Good, you got it." Lois said, grabbing the powder from Clark's hand. She twisted the top open. "Put your head down. I wanna try something."

"Uh, why?"

"Just trust me on this Smallville!" She ordered. He lowered his head, and Lois began coating his hair with the white powder. "I did this in a school play once. I played Cinderella's evil stepmother, and I needed gray hair. A little baby powder does the trick every time."

Clark raised his head. "You were the evil stepmother?" Lois barely gave him time to finish his statement before she forced his head back down, and ran her hands through his hair to get the excess out.

"What? It was a part I could relate to. My dad was dating a lot at the time, and there was this one woman he was obsessed with…a total b-i-t-c-h, by the way, and I sort of channeled her for that character. I did a pretty good job, too. Cinderella actually cried when I yelled at her on stage. Prissy little princess…"

Clark smirked. "I guess I can see that happening."

Clark lifted his head, sensing that Lois was finished, and ran his fingers through his hair. "So, how does it look?"

Lois smiled. "Old and creepy… uhh, in the absolute best way possible."

"I think we should head off." Clark said, smiling in amusement at Lois' comment. He didn't know what it was, but something about her always made him feel so much better. He then picked her up by the waist and rested her in his arms. "Ready to go?"

Lois nodded. Then, she noticed a smudge of powder on Clark's cheek. She smiled at her goofy farm boy crush. He looked so damn cute, like a kid who has just spilled flour all over himself, pretending it was snow, only to make a complete mess of himself.

"Hold it," she said, and wiped the spot away with her thumb.

"We can't have you impersonating a dictator with baby powder all over yourself. It would be unprofessional."

* * *

"We're here." 

The trip to the palace was amazingly quick, but still not quite fast enough for Clark and Lois. They wanted so badly to get home, that every minute they remained in 2056 crept by incredibly slowly.

"I noticed, Smallville. Let's get in there already." Lois commanded.

"I'd already be home by now if I didn't have you weighing me down." Clark snarled.

"Bitchy tonight, aren't we?" Lois shot back. It was unusual of Clark to be so bitter. Something was up, and she did _not_ like it.

"Lois I-I'm sorry"

"Save it. Apologize all you want when we get home."

"Sorry…"

"Just get into character, _Emperor_. You know the plan. Get mean, get angry, and _please_ get us in and out and quickly and possible."

They stepped through the front door, revealing the magnificent lobby that they had only briefly seen the day the escaped from the palace. The floors were a pristine white marble, extending for what seemed like miles in every direction. The palace looked even _more_ enormous from the inside (if that was even possible.) There was a water fountain placed in the center of the hall, a statue of (who else?) the emperor placed in the center in solid gold. The ceiling was hundreds of stories high, with giant spiraling stairwells circling upward to the peak. They were for decoration, of course. There were gold-plated elevator doors lining either side of the hallway, which were the main means of transportation in the palace.

"Damn, Smallville…modesty is definitely not one of your strong suits." Lois said in awe, absorbing the majestic sight before her. Before Clark had a chance to respond, he was interrupted by the clicking of heels on the hallway floor, amplified by the massive echo in the room. It was a woman, dressed in the state uniform that just about everyone seemed to wear. She sprinted to meet the pair.

"Emperor! Emperor!" She shouted excitedly. Clark smiled to herself. _At least somebody bought it_. She had an accent that Clark could not quite identify (perhaps French?), but was rather appealing nonetheless. She stopped in front of Clark and bowed. "Emperor Kal-El, I am so glad to have found you!"

_They must know about the kidnapping…_ Clark and Lois both thought simultaneously. A wave of nervousness passed over them. Lois hid her bad arm behind her back, and Clark tried to stand up straight in front of the woman. Lois noticed Clark's attempt to appear regal, and immediately thought one thing…

_We're doomed._

The woman rose from her bow, and Clark got a good look at her for the first time. Her hair was short and jet-black, cut in a bob, her skin pale and smooth. She looked just like any normal human being, except for her eyes. They were enormous and completely black, no life in them whatsoever. Lois was startled and stepped backwards a little bit.

_That's why I didn't recognize the accent_...Clark thought to himself. _She isn't human._

"Yes, yes, I'm fine—" Clark looked at the woman's nametag. "Liiu-Lueixan," he attempted to say, massacring the name.

"Oh please, emperor. You've always called me Lulu." She giggled, winking her frightening eyes seductively(ish). Lois gagged, as Clark blushed red from the flirting.

"OK, _Lulu_. As you can see, I'm fine. But I need something from you."

"Anything, Kal-El. But I thought you already received your _entertainment_ this evening."

Lois gagged again. Clark chuckled nervously.

"No! I mean, no, not that. I need you to escort Ms—" Clark struggled to think of a name for Lois…He couldn't call her Ms. Lane, people knew her far too well around here.

"--Ms. Lemaris and I to the time machines." Clark finished. Lois glared at him…he did NOT just call her that. The only thing stopping her from attacking him was the fact that the crazy alien chick would probably call security on her.

"Ms. Lemaris! How wonderful it is to see you again! You look different from last time…well, I guess without the fins I didn't recognize you!" Lulu said, smiling a bit too brightly.

_Fins?_ Lois wondered.

"And how is your father doing? He hasn't called me in quite a long time."

_Think on your feet, Lois_. "He's doing well—"

Immediately Lulu's eyes turned a glowing red, and her cute smile was replaced with inch long fangs. She grabbed Lois by the neck, choking her.

"I knew you two were imposters the moment I saw you! Ms. Lemaris has been dead for twenty years, you fool! I should know…I attended her assassination. It was actually quite entertaining—Death by incineration. She made quite a crispy fish stick…"

She faced Clark. "Impersonating the emperor. I don't think they've made a punishment for that yet, not that anyone has been bold enough to attempt it. Oh well, we'll just have to be creative."

"I am the emperor!" Clark protested weakly. Lois rolled her eyes. _He's no George Clooney…This is just sad._

Lulu laughed. "Please! You're too young, and you don't even have the right uniform!" She tightened her grip on Lois' neck. "You've made quite a mistake, kid."

Clark sprung into action. He grabbed Lulu by the neck and lifted her off the ground, her petite feet flailing as she fought to free herself. He took his free hand and slammed it over her mouth.

"You have two choices. Take us to the time machines, or I kill you right on the spot."

_Kal is back!_ Lois thought, happy for the first time that Clark was having some serious sanity issues…

"I'm going to put you down now. If you scream, or signal for help, or do anything other than walk us to the time machines, I'll kill you."

Clark lowered Lulu to the ground, his hand still around her throat in restraint. She remained silent. She walked toward an elevator about ten feet away, and slid a keycard through a slot between the doors. The elevator buzzed, and its doors slid open. Lulu walked in, Clark still holding on to her neck and Lois following closely behind.

"What floor?" Clark inquired. Lulu raised a shaking hand to the floor buttons, and entered in "-97 Northwest."

"-97?" Lois asked, confused.

"97 floors below ground. This place is much bigger than you think." Lulu snarled bitterly. Clark tightened his grip on her throat.

"I told you not to talk."

The elevator zipped sideways for about a second, reaching the Northwest corridor. Then, it fell into a freefall straight down. Lois grabbed the handrail on the side of the elevator and clamped her eyes shut. Clark's stomach turned from the sensation, but he kept his hold on Lulu.

Finally the elevator stopped.

-97NW flashed in bright red on the display above the door, followed by a sharp siren, louder than anything they'd ever heard. Lois and Clark covered their ears in pain.

"What the hell did she do?" Lois screamed in agony.

Immediately Lulu swiped her keycard through the door again, and the siren ceased.

Clark pinned Lulu against the wall. "What the fuck did you do?"

Lulu glared at him. "Only two people in the entire galaxy are allowed on this floor. Kal-El and me. The emperor has permanent access, but my card only delays the full siren. Five minutes from now, the siren will ring again. The first siren rang at about 100dB, give or take, which is a hell of a lot to begin with. The second siren puts out about 200dB, with a new technology that the Emperor developed a few years back. More than enough to kill you and your little girlfriend."

Clark gulped. He wasn't sure that the sound would kill him, but it would definitely kill Lois. He couldn't have that happen.

The doors swung open, and a bright blue light engulfed them. It took a second to adjust to the light, but what Clark and Lois saw once they did was like nothing they could even imagine.

The room was completely silver, about 10X10 feet, with shining white recesses built into the walls. Inside of these recesses were 5-inch glass tubes, suspended in mid-air. Brilliant glowing blue orbs spun and bounced erratically off the sides of their containers, moving so fast that they looked like tiny bolts of lightning.

Clark, Lois, and Lulu stepped out of the elevator, the latter seeming quite unimpressed with the display, at least compared to the other two, whose mouths were gaping and whose eyes were bugging out.

"What are these?" Lois asked in awe.

"These would be the Emperor's time machines. They open up wormholes to anywhere and anytime in any dimension."

Clark moved over to one of the containers, as Lois kept a careful eye on Lulu. She was much too fidgety than Lois was comfortable with. _If that bitch tries to hurt Clark, I'll murder her._

Almost as if on cue, Lulu removed a small pistol from her pocket, and turned to face, not Clark, but Lois.

"CLARK!" Lois shouted.

Clark removed himself from the entrancing beams of light, and turned to see Lulu pointing a gun at Lois' head. "Move an inch, and she dies."

But Clark was not about to take this sitting down. He sped across the room, and sent a blow to Lulu's head. She crumpled to the floor with a whimper.

"D-Did you k-kill her?" Lois said, visibly shaken.

Clark x-rayed Lulu's body to see if she was still alive. Her organs were nothing like a human's, but Clark was sure he'd found something that looked vaguely like a heart. It was beating faintly.

"No. She's alive, but barely."

"Oh."

"Come on. We don't have that long."

"3 minutes and 47 seconds to be exact."

Clark looked at Lois strangely. She pointed to the back wall, where a giant red digital clock was ticking away the seconds until the second alarm went off.

"Should we take them all?" Lois asked. "I mean, just incase we mess up the first time, or they decide to come after us?"

Clark thought about it. "That's probably not a bad idea. Find a bag or something."

Lois scurried off to do her job, as Clark began examining the time machines. He grabbed a container and held it in his hand. It was freezing cold to the touch, which puzzled him.

"Got a bag," Lois announced, flashing him a black briefcase, with the crest of the House of El adorning it in silver lettering. She opened it, revealing about 15 or so slots. "I guess they come with their own carrying case." She playfully slung the briefcase over her shoulder. "And it's stylish to boot. I think I'll keep it."

Clark smiled. "Thanks Lois. Could you pack them away while I try to figure out how to use this thing?"

"Could you let me use one of the wormholes to dump Lulu in a black hole?" Lois begged, pouting her lip and everything.

"Nah, she'll blow up in about 2 minutes anyway."

"2 minute 19 sec—"

"I get it Lois. Move it."

"Hey! Since when am I the lackey in this relationship?" Lois protested, while she picked up the briefcase and started packing away the time machines. "Jeez, they're cold. How is your hand not falling off?" Clark shot her a look. "Oh, right, powers. Duh. It's really gonna take me a while to get used to that."

With exactly 1 minute and 2 seconds left, Lois had packed away the remaining containers. Clark was still trying to make heads or tails of the time machine he held in his hand. Lois tapped her foot impatiently. "Goddamn it, Clark, do something with that!"

"I don't know how the hell it works!"

"Let me see!"

"Lois, get off!"

"Just give me a minute"

"Don't shake it!"

"Oh no, it's breaking."

The glass container began to crack. Lois, who was now holding the container, frantically threw it in the air as the freezing blue orb burst out of the glass. The orb hung in the air for a second or two, until it hurtled toward the ground, sending out shockwaves in its wake that sent Clark and Lois flying across the room and into a wall.

Clark was fine after the hit, but Lois was a little worse off. She'd landed straight on her bad arm, which was now twisted at an even more sickening angle. It looked like her shoulder was dislocated now, as well. She screamed in agony. Clark bolted to her side.

"Lois! Lois! Are you OK? Say something!" Clark cried, but Lois continued to scream. Clark looked anxiously at the clock.

He had 20 seconds.

Clark then looked at the glowing blue orb in the center of the room. It had created quite a hole in the ground, but seemed to have disappeared entirely.

15 seconds.

Clark looked frantically around the room. He needed to get out now. He tried the elevator, but the display told him that it was currently stopped at the top floor. There was no way it would get to them in time.

10 seconds.

Clark's brain was a jumbled mess. He tried to think of a way to escape, but his terror muddled his thoughts. He could only think of one thing and one thing alone.

_Lois is going to die, and it will be all my fault._

5 seconds.  
4 seconds.  
3 seconds.  
2 seconds.

It was then, 1 second from the sirens and their ultimate doom, that Clark did something that seemed to come out of pure instinct, from his powerful will to survive, fueled by his need to save the woman he loved. He let go of all his inhibitions, and did the only thing that he could do.

Clark braced himself, and took off toward the sky.


	25. Aftermath

I have here, in my very hands, a MERRY CHRISTMAS UPDATE!!!

...well, at least it's christmas for the people who celebrate the 24th, like me

Say goodbye to 2056 people...cuz we ain't going back.

ENJOY!!!!

* * *

**Chapter 25: Aftermath**

* * *

_5 seconds…  
4 seconds…  
3 seconds…  
2 seconds…  
1 second…._

Lulu definitely did _not_ exaggerate about the second siren.

Right on cue, the deathly alarm went off, at such an unnatural and agonizing pitch that anyone unlucky enough to hear it perished immediately.

The force with which Clark took off flying shattered the "impervious" ceiling of the time-portal containment chamber, not to mention ripped a giant hole through the entire palace, exposing every worker in the building to the fatal noise. Everyone from the elite heads-of-state to the unfortunate janitors, whether on the first floor or the hundred twenty first floor, died before they knew what hit them.

And then, silence.

Needless to say, it caused quite a stir.

The entire city jerked awake in the middle of the night, ears splitting from the high-pitched hum. Reporters and camera crews raced to the scene, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was happening. The people were beside themselves: The once pristine palace of the all-powerful emperor Kal-El now wore incarnadine walls, stained and dripping with the blood and flesh of the pulverized victims. Windows shattered and debris flew for miles, touching down as far as the outskirts of the city and frightening unsuspecting night owls suddenly being showered with razor sharp fragments of glass as they strolled the Metropolis streets. Inhabitants of nearby apartment complexes did not hear the siren at all—anybody within two blocks of the Palace suffered from complete hearing loss.

In about an hour, troops would arrive at the former Kent Farm in search of their emperor, after scouring half of North America for Kal. They were initially worried that he was in the palace, hurt or dead. Nobody was exactly sure of _how_ invincible the emperor was, so they couldn't be sure he was strong enough to withstand the explosion. However, after recovering a message detailing the Emperor's alleged kidnapping from earlier in the evening, new hope that the emperor would be found in one piece swelled in the hearts of his supporters—like the emperor could be 'kidnapped' by anybody. He'd kill them, everyone knew that.

Of course, this hope eventually died, when a group newly recruited soldiers, fresh out of military training, were ordered by their superiors to look around Smallville while more experienced soldiers searched 'hot spots' where Kal-El was more likely to be. One particular rookie had the foresight to look in the barn at the Kent farm.

It took him a minute to find the emperor, two to comprehend what he saw, and five for him to stop throwing up. The reactions of most of Kal's supporters were somewhat similar.

The government (or rather, what was _left_ of it) tried desperately to conceal Kal-El's death. They hastily removed the corpse and burned the farm where it was found (with Lucy's body still in it.) Media propaganda reported that the Palace had burned in a freak electrical fire, and that Kal was currently aiding in the recovery effort and sending large amounts of money to the families of the deceased.

But there was only so much the propagandists could do before the world inevitably discovered the truth…which actually came out much sooner than expected. Evidently, the soldiers who had discovered Kal-El's body were talkers, and started a chain reaction of gossip that exploded into a full-fledged revolution. The military attempted to halt the rebellion, but when a world of people, sensing an opportunity for freedom that they had never known before, turn against their weakened oppressors, there is only so much that can be done. Even the military was significantly weaker—without a clear, omnipotent leader calling the shots, there was no one to order them around, telling them what to do and when to do it. For the first time, the Generals had to think for themselves…and most of them were pretty bad at it.

The regime was falling apart at the seams, and the people realized it. Soon enough, the last of the government officials would either be assassinated by bitter underlings or seek safe haven in other solar systems from the mobs that had formed in the cities. The planet would lay in shambles for years, plagued by civil war between those who wished to return to the pre-Kal-El systems of government and those who wanted otherwise. The day Kal-El died was not the last time blood was shed because of him. The world would not return to a peaceful utopia, free from oppression and newly united under common interests, just because its dictator died. The damage would linger for generations until, after much hard work and strife, some sort of order was established.

The planet Earth would stay alive only by the grace of God in this new era.

That is, unless Clark Kent and Lois Lane had something to do with it…

* * *

_5 seconds…  
4 seconds…  
3 seconds…  
2 seconds…  
1 second…._

Clark didn't think, or talk, or breathe….he simply flew. There was no time left—Lois (and possibly himself) would die if he didn't get out of that deathtrap _immediately_.

Clark ripped through the ceiling of the palace, shielding Lois from the metal with his body, not completely realizing what was happening. His mind was a mess—if you had asked him his own name at that moment, he would have needed time to think about it. He was even less cognizant of the fact that he was (finally) flying.

Once he reached a height about twice that of the building, Clark finally let his mind settle, and allowed himself to become aware of his surroundings. And basically only one thing registered…

_Oh my God…I'm actually flying…_

Clark tried desperately to gain control of where he was going. He was flying rather erratically, spinning around in circles and zigzagging between the clouds in a futile attempt to steady himself. It would be rather funny if he wasn't so high up…

Clark eventually was able to propel himself steadily in one direction, not daring to move a muscle on the off chance that he would go spiraling again or lose his momentum.

_Remember, if I fall, Lois falls with me…_

Then it dawned on Clark. Lois was still in his arms. He couldn't believe he'd almost forgotten about her.

Then again, it's not everyday one suddenly finds oneself soaring hundreds of feet in the air.

Clark looked down at Lois. Her eyes were clamped shut as she softly repeated the 'Hail Mary.' Her body was stiff as a board, as though she was bracing herself for the worst.

"Lois…" Clark whispered.

Lois bit her lip, and opened her eyes cautiously. Upon seeing Clark smiling at her, his brown curls framed by the soft moonlight and midnight blue sky, eyes sparkling like stars, she couldn't help but smile.

"Well, at least I made it to heaven…" Lois sighed.

Clark smiled. "Lois, you're alive. Several hundred feet off the ground, yes, but alive."

"Oh, that's good." Lois blushed. "Wait. Did you say _hundred_?"

Clark nodded, beaming. He couldn't be prouder of himself.

Lois wasn't nearly as pleased. She sprang up and grabbed Clark around the neck, startling him and sending him into more spirals.

"CLARK! STOP THAT!!" Lois shrieked. Clark, trying to return to a stable route, picked a star on the horizon and attempted to will himself toward it. To his surprise, it worked. Shortly, he was traveling straight ahead again.

"Ha, So _that's_ how it works…" Clark laughed. Lois glared at him.

"You have no clue what you're doing, do you?"

"None whatsoever…"

"Oh, that's good. Except for one tiny detail."

"What?"

"HOW ARE WE GONNA GET DOWN?!"

Clark stammered. "Uh….umm….I don't know how."

"What do you mean you don't know how to get down?" Lois asked, worried. She looked down, and saw Metropolis speed under her much faster than she was comfortable with. "LEARN! LEARN!!"

Clark picked a spot on the top of a skyscraper in the distance, and tried to will himself towards it. He descended slowly and carefully, making sure not to startle his skittish passenger.

Lois put a weary hand to her head as the ground drew closer. "If I die, I'll kick your alien ass into oblivion."

"But technically wouldn't you be—"

"JUST LAND ALREADY!!"

Clark landed on the roof of the skyscraper with a bit of a bump, but considering it was his first time actually landing on his feet, it was pretty impressive. Clark was extremely pleased with his new ability.

_How the heck was I ever afraid of heights? That was really fun …_

Lois was a bit less enthusiastic. "Don't you ever, EVER take me up there again!"

"What happened to 'Oh Clark, you have _got_ to take me flying someday?" Clark mocked in a shrill girly voice, recalling the time he told Lois about his powers, and her reaction to his flying ability.

"That was before I knew you were the most idiotic, spastic, inconsiderate, insane—"

As Lois droned on, Clark set up the briefcase with the time portals (you forgot about that, didn't you) on the ledge and opened it cautiously. He didn't want it blowing up in his face again.

"—moronic, thick-headed, erratic—"

Clark picked up a time portal and felt the now-familiar cold sensation it emitted.

_Hopefully this time it'll work._

"— negligent, senseless, oblivious—"

He analyzed every inch of the container, searching for any hint of how the time machines worked.

_ I must have missed something…something has to tell me how this works. _

Clark did everything he could think of, trying to consider every trick Kal could use to safeguard the time machine.

"—self-absorbed creep on the planet!" Lois finished, gasping for air after her minute-long rant.

"Are you done?" Clark asked, annoyed.

"I guess so…" Lois conceded. "I never knew I had such a colorful vocabulary."

"Neither did I…But could you keep your verbal dictionary shut for a minute? I'm trying to concentrate."

"Oh yeah, the time machine thing. Whoops. I'll keep it down." Lois said sheepishly. "Ignoramus."

"What?"

"Sorry. I had one more synonym in me. And you never get to use a word like that in real life."

Clark smiled, and returned to work. He X-Rayed the container on a whim, and focused as hard as he could. He was surprised to see a tiny metallic bead suspended in the container, spinning and bouncing in every direction. Moving into super-speed, he continued to focus on the bead, hoping to see something—anything—that would give him a clue how it worked. The world started moving slower and slower around Clark, and the bead appeared to lose some speed. Finally, something became visible to Clark that peaked his interest.

The bead was covered in miniscule numbers.

Clark moved faster still, until the bead stopped spinning entirely. He got a good look at it, and found that it was not a solid metal ball, but rather divided into two sections, with eight numbered dials on each half. The top half was currently set to 04-29-2056, while the bottom was blank.

_That's today's date…_

Kal must have designed these so only he could move fast enough to use them…

Clark shattered the container, and grabbed hold of the bead. Instinctively, he turned the bottom dials until they read 03-21-2008, they day they had been transported to the future. He let go of the bead, which remained floating in the air. Clark ran over to the opposite end of the roof, where Lois was, just incase it blew up again. He returned to normal speed and waited for something to happen

The bead hurtled toward the ground, and again sent out shockwaves. Clark shielded Lois from the blast. But this time, the bead left a portal in its wake. It was barely visible to the naked eye, looking something like a heat wave that only slightly distorted its surroundings.

"OK, what the hell just happened?" Lois said, completely ignorant as to what had happened in the last .00165 seconds.

"I think I got it." Clark said, disbelieving.

"You mean—you mean you figured it out?"

Clark nodded.

"We can go home?"

Clark took a cautious step toward the portal, Lois following close behind. As they drew nearer, the grasped each other's hands. Neither of them could believe how close they were to safety—just a few steps away. After the past month, all the pain and suffering they had endured, the revelations (good and bad) and a newly discovered love, Lois and Clark were both weary and homesick. They were almost waiting for something to go horribly wrong that would keep them stuck in the future. It was too good to be true.

"I almost can't believe we're going home, Lois. Home…" Clark trailed off. Lois squeezed his hand tighter.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

They both took a deep breath, and stepped through the time machine, never looking back.


End file.
